REINVENT AND REVIVE: THE KEY TO OTT
For actors canvas to experiment on a blank The medium has become who want to go beyond their usual roles and revamp their craft
Sushmita Sen, Abhishek Bachchan, Dino Morea, Bobby Deol... the one thing that all these actors have in common is a dramatic change in the kind of roles they played on their foray into the OTT world. With the boom of the digital space amid the pandemic, the platform has given a chance for many artistes to break away from their conventional images as reinvention turned out to be the winning formula.
If Sen took on the role of a vindictive widow in Aarya, then Bachchan explored shades of grey with Breathe: Into the Shadows. Similarly, Kartik Aaryan broke away from his lover boy image for Dhamaka. There’s also Morea and Kunal Kapoor in The Empire, Bobby Deol in Aashram, and Raveena Tandon’s upcoming avatar in Aranyak series. “The one thing that OTT platforms are getting right is that they have placed content above everything else. So, the casting follows the story. A star or star image does not dictate the story, as it happens very often in movies,” shares writer Bhavani Iyer, who has penned scripts for Kaafir, Breathe: Into the Shadows and The Empire.
She continues, “You write a show first, and then get the actor. It allows the actors greater joy to experiment. Because the role is not written to an image, but for the character. It allows them to experiment and follow the authenticity of the character.”
Morea, whose portrayal of Shaybani Khan in The Empire garnered much praise, is grateful for this trend. “My role in The Empire gave me a chance to reinvent myself. OTT has given many other actors a chance for their fans and the audiences to see them in a different light too,” he shares.
To this, Deol adds, “OTT has greater reach and purely focuses on the entertainment value of a project. It has given
me an opportunity to play different characters, and I am looking forward to playing more different characters.”
OTT has also given viewers a chance to discover the acting chops of stars who were only known for their appearances. Iyer picks up the example of actor Dia Mirza in her show Kaafir and explains,“It gave her a wonderful opportunity to express herself and show her talent, which until now, was just limited to being all about good looks and the image that she had. It was because the character was written first.”
Actor Abhishek Banerjee, who has been winning the OTT game with his diverse roles from Hathoda Tyagi in Paatal Lok to his role in Ajeeb
Daastaans, calls it a “game changer for all”. “After my three big movies, which were all comedies, I was getting only comic offers. I was worried as I wanted to tell the directors that ‘I can do much more than just be a funny guy’. OTT gave me the opportunity,” he adds.
Wrapping up, Asur cocreator Gaurav Shukla shares that the absence of the usual Bollywood trappings help writers as well to go beyond the usual. “There’s no commercial pressure of the box office. The medium is less demanding, with the writer and actor getting freedom to explore new avenues,” he says.
The one OTT thing that getting platforms have right are is that placed they everything content show else. You above first, actor. and then write a It get allows the experiment the and actors to authenticity follow the of the character. BHAVANI IYER, Screenwriter