Nikhil Dwivedi: I have been out of work as an actor for 5 -6 years, OTT gave me the chance

After a long hiatus, actor-producer Nikhil Dwivedi decided to come back to the acting with the much-acclaimed web series, Scam 1992. While he admits that his absence from the screen was because of lack of d work, he assures that he is going to consider more such acting offers in future, all thanks to the OTT opportunities coming his way.

“Post Scam, it is a different story. My phone has not stopped ringing. I am looking forward to anything interesting that comes my way. I have been out of work for 5 -6 years. OTT gave me the chance. That is the difference OTT has got,” he shares.

Dwivedi feels that the scope to experiment is much more on OTT than in films and that is the reason why the medium is able to churn out such great content.

“They can do so without the pressure of selling tickets. When that pressure is taken away, the makers are free to indulge, experiment and tell their kind of stories. It is not always possible to challenge the big screen norms. Whatever one may say, however bold and gutsy you want to be, one has to sometimes adhere to some parameters as you don’t want to lose too much of money. OTT can do that,” explains the producer of films such as Veere Di Wedding (2018) and Dabangg 3 (2019) and the recently announced Nagin franchsie starring Shraddha Kapoor.

 

Also lauding his Scam co-star Pratik Gandhi, he says, “He has garnered such a response which even a star kid cannot garner. He has been around for 15 years. Who would have given a break to an actor in films who has been around for 15 years? Never.”

The 41-year-old also hopes that people don’t start pitting OTT actors and films actors against one another as he feels now, everyone can have their own place.

“Cinema will have the same place , superstars of cinema will still have the same place. That is what people have to understand. One should not assume that Pratik Gandhi is here to replace Ranbir Kapoor. Why should it happen? Everyone has their own place. What we should appreciate and what we should find joy in is the fact that alongside a Ranbir Kapoor, we can also celebrate a Pratik Gandhi,” he says.