10th February, Mumbai: The OTT revolution is for real. Be it good content that is being made in India or around the world or work opportunities, the new medium has been a boon for those working in front and behind the camera, and even the audience. Every actor wants to be a part of this space, even though there is no star here and everyone who is good gets substantial work and fame. Saath Nibhana Saathiya 2 actor Sneha Jain shares her opinion.
“People have a perception that actors who are seen on the big screen are huge personas and the ones on OTT or TV are not as they are seen on the small screen. No matter how talented or good you are, people will judge you on the basis of the medium you are a part of. The perception of big and small screens should change and also the talent of actors should be seen rather than the medium. I think perception will change with time and it will have similar importance as the big screen, until then we have to keep making good content, deliver better performances and cast good actors. Everyone doing OTT will be valued as film stars. In fact, a lot of film stars are doing OTT these days,” she says.
Censorship on OTT is liberal given platforms follow self censorship and viewers’ discretion is possible, hence bold scenes and cuss words are common. Many use them to get viewers’ attention too.
“There are a lot of things which happen in a normal person’s life. Be it intimacy, fights, using abusive language or anything and that is what is shown on OTT. It often highlights a real person’s journey. It depends on characters too who are bold, introvert or extrovert. The creativity of an actor, director and writer are restricted through censorship wherein OTT gives freedom of creativity and art,” she explains.
Many opine that the entertainment industry has exposed everyone to everything including cuss words, extramarital affairs, sex, and drugs as topics like these are common on OTT.
“If you watch any film, OTT and even talk shows, there are times when people open up about a lot of things including their bedroom intimacies with their exes. We are sometimes showing too much and people have that attitude that it’s my life, I want to live it my way. Earlier, there was a fear of getting judged and criticised but now there’s no such inhibition in living their life on their own terms,” she adds.
The new generation of actors are more exposed to knowledge and information and that makes them too polished even for their age. So there seems to be a generation gap in the thought process, behaviour and action between new generation and senior performers.
“Today’s generation has been exposed to too much information. With technological development, it has become easier to access people and their lives which never happened in the 90’s. Performance wise too, the generation is staying updated through the wide variety of content available. The acting process is natural, the makers want things to be simple and real,” says the actor.
Sneha feels that OTT has given tough competition to Bollywood. She adds, “This happened mainly during Covid. Since people couldn’t visit theatres, everyone switched to OTT. And people started thinking that rather than spending time travelling to theatres, switching on to OTT and watching things they want is much more comfortable and easy on the pocket.”
The actor herself is keen on doing OTT. “I would love to do something in the thriller and romance genres,” she says.
And, the two web series that she recommends her fans to watch are, “Escape Live, I liked the plot of how social media life influences people, the suspense is great. I also liked the concept of the Netflix movie Maid.”