Gurmeet Choudhary: OTT platforms may be a relief to producers, but they can never match the theatrical experience

Actor Gurmeet Choudhary says the big screen experience cannot be uninterrupted and he misses watching films in a theatre, a lot.

As most of the sectors have been allowed to operate in Unlock 4.0, the theatres are still stuck in limbo. And to fill the gap, the OTTs have come into prominence by bringing ready content to the audiences via various platforms, which actor Gurmeet Choudhary feels is a massive relief for producers as well as viewers.

Actor Gurmeet Choudhary is currently in Jaipur shooting for his film, The Wife.

“There’s a lot of money involved. A producer takes a loan from the market to make a film and he has to pay an interest amount every month. If a film gets a delayed release, it gets worse for him. Till the situation improves, producers are looking at OTTs as a viable option and it is fine,” he shares.

However, he’s quick to add that he’s a big screen person and can’t wait to get back to theatres.

“Personally, I feel, yes, OTT is great, but when you watch a film on 70 mm then that experience is unmatched. At home you sit to watch a film and then there are so many distractions and disturbances. The experience cannot be uninterrupted. The big screen is immersive and I miss that a lot,” he says.

Talking about resuming shoot after almost four and a half months of being confined at home, Choudhary says even though he is at work, he is not letting his guard down. “You have to be on your toes and cautious about everything and keep safety in mind always. Before this pandemic hit, when we were shooting all I had to think about was playing my character and giving that my all. And now we have to be mindful of so many other things, being safe, social distancing, sanitising, washing hands,etc,” he says.

Choudhary admits that initially he was a bit wary of stepping out. “I was not just worried for myself, but for my whole team, I feel responsible for their safety as well. But it has been very long now, and we had to resume shooting. We are not just being safe, but being extra safe, taking all precautions necessary and more. So we have reduced the possibility of infection to the least,” he explains.