OLD OR NEW: OTT A BLESSING FOR ALL
actors feel With a focus on content, mine of OTT platforms are a gold opportunities
OTT platforms have infiltrated our lives like never before, with the pandemic playing a catalyst for the same. And not just for the viewers, the digital platforms have also been a “messiah” for many actors — the up and coming ones as well as those who may have been around for a while but their films could not really encompass their talent.
Sandhya Mridul, who made her digital debut early this year with Mentalhood, says OTT platforms are far more democratic than other entertainment mediums. “It is a far more open and actororiented space. There are a lot of actors like us who weren’t working and are now coming into the fray as the OTT platforms are offering the opportunity,” she shares.
For newcomer Ritwik Bhowmik, starting his career with a web show was not a matter of worry at all as he feels the obsession with films is long gone. “It (OTT platform) is a messiah for me. They gave me work and trusted me with such a big show. They didn’t care if I am a known face, if I have done work before or what my social media following was. All they cared for was whether I can act and fit my part,” says the actor, who is part of web series
Bandish Bandits.
Also a newcomer, his co-star Shreya Chaudhry seconds him. She goes on to say that for the OTT platforms, content is king and that helps actors. “It is the sheer variety that is the USP (of the platform), and that is not possible on any other platforms – films or TV. Because of the OTTS, employment of actors have gone up,” she explains.
A well-known name in the film circuit, Atul Kulkarni also feels that the web has, in the last couple of years, played a crucial role in giving opportunities to actors. “The creative freedom that it gives an actor is very satisfying. In a film, a story can be only told in 120 minutes, on OTTS it can be told in 400 minutes, so imagine the scope an actor gets. Plus, it has amplified work for us as well,” he says.
Echoing the feeling, Renuka
Shahane says, “Every actor finds his or her own place, otherwise everyone struggles for that one role on the silver screen. And that’s not necessarily available for everyone. There are other outlets now.”
Former child actor Ahsaas Channa admits that OTT medium came to her rescue when she decided to restart her career as an adult. “My ultimate plan was to get into films, but then I got an offer for a web series and things kept happening. I didn’t realise it then that it is going to be such a good space. I am lucky that it happened to me,”
Channa says.