Sudhanshu: Hard to say if OTT actors are becoming stars
Actor Sudhanshu Pandey is all praise for the web space, for he feels it has given opportunities to many actors. But, whether or not they will go on to earn the status of stars is something only time will tell, he says.
“OTT is huge, no doubt. The medium is giving visibility to many actors, but it’s hard to say whether OTT actors are becoming stars or not. It has happened in the past with TV. It grew so much that today, TV stars are as big as film stars. OTT is also a growing platform, and actors who are doing well on it may become stars,” says the actor, who’s riding high on the success of his ongoing TV show.
The 47-year-old adds that lack of censorship on the web gives makers the liberty to be creative and to explore bold or taboo topics. “People are openly talking about subjects that they wouldn’t, back in the day,” says Pandey, who has also been a part of films such as Singham (2011) and 2.0 (2018).
Ask if he’d be comfortable doing intimate scenes on screen and he says, “I might consider, if the story demands. But, not just for the heck of it.”
Adding his two bits to the debate on whether this freedom on the web may influence viewers negatively, Pandey shares, “People have access to almost everything. It is only natural that people will pick up [what they see on screen] and get influenced by what’s shown on OTT. So, it’s a double-edged sword.”