Priya Paramita Paul: Entertainment will always be in demand, whether there’s a recession or not, so they should have a backup!

3rd March, Mumbai: Covid pandemic that led to many businesses shutting shop led to a global meltdown. Now with the virus attack in China and the Russia-Ukraine war has affected the economy, it seems a recession is impending. While recession is becoming a talking point, showbiz needs to survive as entertainment is of prime importance. People in India, much like the rest of the world, enjoy watching TV, films, and OTT. MS World International Ambassador Priya Paramita Paul shares her opinion.
 
“I think entertainment will always be in demand, whether there’s a recession or not. There’s an audience who will always appreciate watching new things on all these mediums. It’s a mind therapy I would say. Whenever they’re free, they’ve time, they want to watch something, they will. So that they’re happy and entertained but as an actor definitely there will be some impact on them, but for the audience it is always an ongoing demand,” she says.
 
About the changes or precautionary measures the industry should take to deal with the situation, she shares, “Industry needs to really plan out the funds they’re investing. They need to have enough savings so that even though there’s a recession, they have a back-up and are able to continue. For every actor, I think we all have seen the Covid situation that majorly affected the entertainment industry. Even though many other industries could operate online, showbiz could not. That time has taught the industry to have a backup and I think all of us have learnt that. So don’t leave the backup plan for anything. Almost everyone in the industry has started something in parallel to their main source. I think we should continue as actors to keep the business safe during recession and even as an industry the investors and the producers will also be ready. Whatever we have learnt during Covid should be implemented now.”
 
The competition is increasing every day, although the opportunities have also increased. A number of new platforms are coming up. And Priya agrees to it completely.
 
“Along with competition, there has also been a rise in platforms. I would say that the increase of these platforms is the result of an increase in competition, and therefore competition will always be there. As an actor, you really have to not be in this competition. Just do something that you love even if you’re just getting a small role. Use these platforms to reach out to more people because all of us need to keep things rolling. Even if a small role makes the audience know you and your performance, that itself is a great thing,” she says.
 
About the two tips that one should follow to fight recession, Priya shares, “Like I said, we all know what happened during Covid, so we shouldn’t repeat our mistakes. A parallel source of income therefore is necessary. Don’t get solely dependent on one source of income. Start finding your other aspects that can help you earn more. I think all these are the precautions which are good enough for any actor or artist or crew to survive not only during the recession but always.”