OTT is a growing battle for entertainment, and the transition from Doordarshan to Direct-to-Home (D2H) to OTT platforms is visible and acceptable. Given how big of an arena OTT has become, big actors who were previously only seen on big screens in big-budget films and had established a star system in the entertainment industry are now making their OTT debut. 2023 will also bring new content and some big movie stars making their OTT debuts. Will this star system be followed in OTT as well?
In a conversation with Ragini Daliya for SheThePeople Small Screen Fest, actors Maanvi Gagroo and Aahana Kumra discussed whether OTT has managed to dismantle the long-existing star system of the entertainment industry.
Take any name from Bollywood's A-listers, and they have either made their OTT presence known or are in the process of making big debuts there. Farzi and The Night Manager gave Shahid Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapoor a different voice that they had not received in theatres for their previous releases, respectively, and now other stars are hoping to achieve the same. Many more actors will make their debut this year, from Kareena Kapoor Khan in The Devotion of Suspect X: Hindi Adaptation to Vaani Kapoor in Mandala Murders.
Discussing the same, Maanvi Gagroo, a performer best known for her roles in web series such as TVF Pitchers, TVF Tripling, and Four More Shots Please!, said that keeping with the trend, many big names are taking to the OTT screen in the hopes of conquering the digital audience, which is only growing by the year. She went on to say that it has also provided audiences and creators with a plethora of options.
Not only big actors but also actors who had a good run onscreen but took a break because they were not getting good roles, have the opportunity to showcase their acting abilities in a better perspective. From Madhuri Dixit's Game Fame to Raveena Tandon's Aranyak, this platform has always welcomed good stories and great performances. And now, a new set of individuals will enter the acting industry through the OTT platform in an attempt to achieve their dreams of becoming superstars. Suhana Khan, Agastya Nanda, and Khushi Kapoor are among the newcomers who will make their acting debuts in OTT shows.
But has this affected the work of people who have been part of the OTT industry for a long time? Aahana Kumra is a feature film, television, and theatre actor best known for her role in Lipstick Under My Burkha. She agreed how Bollywood stars and everyone else is now making debuts because there is a new audience and the reach is insane.
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She ">added, "At the moment, I'm being offered the role (second lead), which I don't want to do because I've owned this space, I've worked so much in this space, and I don't see myself doing second lead just because a star is trying to make a debut." She, however, also mentioned that she believes the big actors are no longer trapped and have more room to experiment with their performances.
The actors also discussed how OTT has changed the way Indians consume and create content. The actor, who was most recently seen in India Lockdwon, discussed how OTT provides fresh stories and welcomes diverse roles. She stated that it is a good time for creators to tell new stories and that anyone with a good story and a good sense of filmmaking will find his stake, his audience, and his way to people's screens.
According to her, another India is being portrayed, one in which the audiences are the new decision-makers and have made it very clear that they want to hear new and refreshing stories. Gagroo agreed to this, saying OTT has evolved into a platform for storytelling that has nuanced and given us stories about sisterhood and female friendship, and as the demands increase, more aspects will be touched.
Watch the discussion here:
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