Ghost Stories, Unpaused, Paava Kadhaigal: Anthologies back with a bang on OTT platforms

A blend of multiple short films, the genre is gaining steam on OTT platforms. We talk to actors and makers about this renewed interest in the format.

OTT platforms have sort of led to the resurgence of anthologies, or a number of short films compiled into one full-length film. Over a span of just a year, the web has had at least four such projects, mainly owing to the freedom makers and artistes have to explore.

Stills from Unpaused and Ghost Stories.

It started with Lust Stories in 2018, which brought together filmmakers Karan Johar, Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee and Anurag Kashyap. The anthology got such rave reviews, that it compelled them to reunite for Ghost Stories in 2020, with a cast including actors such as Janhvi Kapoor, Mrunal Thakur, and more.

Avinash Tiwary, who played the lead in Johar’s segment, says, “I have been doing short films for long, since 2005 when I was in New York. When this came up to me with these directors on board, it seemed like a great opportunity to go out there and create something of this quality. Also, you don’t say no when KJo offers something, which is the real truth of everything.”

Actor Janhvi Kapoor in a still from Ghost Stories

He adds that though there have been Bollywood attempts before, “The beauty of short films is also because of the fact that there is so much content and our attention span has gone down. You need content which is of shorter duration.”

Unpaused, again in Hindi, brought together five directors to create five different stories set in the Covid pandemic. Actor-director Tannishtha Chatterjee, who directed the segment starring Lilette Dubey and Rinku Rajguru, says making a short story format is always different.

Actor Gulshan Devaiah in a still from Unpaused

“The length always makes you explore a subject in a particular way, even in writing. When it’s short, it’s a slice of life captured in one moment. You don’t have the scope to explore the background in depth of those characters. There is a different way of telling the audience. Because of OTT platforms, different formats are getting explored,” says the 40-year-old.

Pavail Gulati played a role in Ghost Stories as well. He claims that he was a fan of the dystopian science fiction anthology Black Mirror, which is what prompted him to take thine one up. The Thappad actor says, “You get a lot to do in those 20 minutes. Lust Stories was amazing, and even though it was a small aprt, I hence wanted to be a aprt of Ghost Stories. I don’t feel any medium differs into my acting. I am performing the same way. You don’t feel different as an actor when performing in an anthology.”

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