Shriya Pilagonkar: There is no monopoly on OTT like in films

Actor Shriya Pilagonkar is optimistic that OTTs will still be about content and talent, and not names.

The past few months have been difficult for everyone and especially for people in the film industry, feels Shriya Pilgaonkar. The actor says with no film shoots happening during the lockdown, it was the OTT platforms which came to the rescue of all creative people.

Shriya Pilgaonkar had two projects that released amid the pandemic- The Gone Game and Crackdown.

“OTT has been the only form of artistic release and somewhere while we all hope that cinemas all over, that is not going to die anytime soon. It’s good to see that all kinds of projects, big small, commercial independent have found a place because of OTT,” shares Pilgaonkar, who had two projects that released amid the pandemic- The Gone Game and Crackdown.

The actor feels for any maker the most important thing is for his project to reach people.

“And in a time like this, the fact that we have these platforms is a blessing. We can see diverse work by filmmakers. There’s no monopoly of one kind like we see in films. We often see that smaller films don’t get release and their clash of dates,” she adds.

While the OTT platforms have now piqued the interest of many big actors as well and several are heading the digital way, the 31-year-old is optimistic that it will still be about “content and talent” more than just the names.

“I would like to hope that talent will continue to get its due on OTT. With films, it is more of business decisions that are taken. I have also noticed that a lot of people are casting actors based on social media numbers and I don’t agree with it because your success is not the number of followers you have,” she points out.

But, Pilgaonkar feels there are still people who are not driven by those factors. “The good filmmakers and productions houses have a priority in place, they will not decide on those factors. I am not negative about it. OTT actors are also stars in their own right. The definition of a star is changing, it is not about how much money you get but it is also going to be about the quality of work you do,” she concludes.