Pandemic no worry! OTT hai na, say actors Abhishek Bannerjee, Jitendra Kumar, Jaideep Ahlawat | Bollywood - Hindustan Times
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Pandemic no worry! OTT hai na, say actors Abhishek Bannerjee, Jitendra Kumar, Jaideep Ahlawat

Hindustan Times | ByJuhi Chakraborty
Jul 25, 2020 12:00 PM IST

With no new releases in sight and theatres shut across the country, actors are happy to see their work coming out on various streaming platforms and the fact that they can contribute towards entertaining the audiences.

Whoever said ‘web is the future’ must be smiling right now seeing how the OTT players have completely taken over the theatres, at least in the last four months since the Covid-19 pandemic hit us. With cinemas shut across the country, streaming platforms have been providing the much needed entertainment to movie buffs during the lockdown. And this obviously meant, several actors continued to have fresh releases, albeit digitally.

A still from web series, Paatal Lok, which dropped on an OTT platform during the lockdown
A still from web series, Paatal Lok, which dropped on an OTT platform during the lockdown

“OTT platforms have turned out to be household multiplexes in the times of lockdown. They provide a democratic content viewing experience,” shares Abhishek Banerjee, who starred in web series Paatal Lok that released in May.

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He adds, “Thank god that during the lockdown the audience could entertain themselves through these platforms or else the shutting of cinema halls and not much to watch on TV, could have been a very lonely ride for the audiences who’re seeking entertainment in these trying times.” 

Actor Jitendra Kumar may not have shot anything new in the last few months, but two of his projects — web series Panchayat and web film, Chaman Bahar — made their way to the audience’s homes though OTT platforms.

“Of course web has been a boon considering how many big films are releasing digitally now. I think it’s now that more and more actors are going to be eager to do web projects, which might not have been the case earlier. The theatres will always be there, but this crisis has pushed OTTs to another level altogether,” he shares.

Many feel that because of the lockdown, people got more time to watch content on the web at a time convenient to them and that has been a win-win situation for both audience and actors. 

“My show, Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain 3, also released on the web during the lockdown and I’m glad it received humongous response from the audience. My experience with digital shows – be it KKHH3 or Hostages, has been really amazing and I’m sure as an audience, I’ll get to see some really good stories in the OTT space in the near future,” says Ronit Roy.

Among the first few works that came out on the web after lockdown came into place was season two of web series Four More Shots Please! Actor-host Bani J admits she couldn’t have asked for more, as the show came just at the right time and went on to become one of the most watched shows on web.

“Nobody ever thought that how much this (OTTs) is going to come into our lives. We’re constantly tuning in to see what’s new and what to binge watch. It’s cool that we could also contribute to this, and entertain people during this period,” she says. 

Echoing similar sentiments, Paatal Lok actor Jaideep Ahlawat says that the new shows on OTTs have been a great help for the audience to find some relief amid the ongoing crisis. “This has been a tough period for everyone, but at least now they have a plethora of content to chose from and stay busy. As actors, it feels great that I had a release and I could do my bit to entertain my viewers,” he says.

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