Star culture rising on the OTT medium? Here's what stakeholders think

Established big-screen stars are showing up in more OTT projects. Is it really bad news, like actor Shabana Azmi pointed out recently in an Instagram post?

Right from Heeramandi, and Amar Singh Chamkila to Ae Watan Mere Watan to Call Me Bae, the casts of some of the most spoken about OTT projects of 2024 have featured established screen names. Contrary to its status as a vehicle to democratise cinema and a level-playing field for lesser-known actors, the OTT space is increasingly feared as slowly being taken over by ‘stars’, like actor Shabana Azmi recently spoke out about on Instagram. She pointed out, “Nishant [...] firmly established Shyam Benegal as the leading light of [...] parallel cinema. Shyam took newcomers and established them as stars in their own right — a chance that OTT platforms have to do but they are running mostly after established stars and directors and production houses and missing this big opportunity. What a pity!”

Call Me Bae and Chamkila

“Yes, it is happening, and it’s disheartening. Many makers, actors and viewers are talking about it,” says actor Pratik Gandhi, who has starred in OTT projects such as Scam 1992, Modern Love Mumbai and The Great Indian Murder. Actor Aahana Kumra concurs: “Big actors have taken over OTT and the medium has become star oriented. The stars want to have control over the medium just like theatres, all the real talent of small actors is getting sidelined,” says Kumra.”

Legit threat or false alarm?

“A popular face gives [platforms] some amount of traction and attraction,” says Maharaj director Siddharth P Malhotra, adding, however, that calling this the arrival of star culture, would be getting ahead of ourselves: “Several shows, like Panchayat, Gullak and Yeh Meri Family, have made stars out of actors. So, we can’t generalise something like this for everyone.” Stressing on a point similar to the one Malhotra made initially, trade analyst Atul Mohan says star value for business cannot be discounted. “Star toh har jagah chahiye, unke bina kya hi bikega. Everything depends on stars, be it OTT or theatres. Ab saare actors toh aa hi gaye hain OTT par,” he says.

Agreeing that the change is inevitable and “for the best”, director-screenwriter Suparn S Varma dismisses the thought that a star culture is coming on OTT. “In fact, it is better that actors from all regions and every part of India are coming together. Shows on streaming platforms give a chance to actors to play with characters without worrying about box office. It’s the best of both worlds in every way,” says Varma, who has worked on The Family Man and Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai.

Actor Karishma Tanna, who headlined Scoop, too, sees star culture on OTT as an interesting phenomenon. “The shift of major stars to OTT could be due to various reasons, from global reach to just creative exploration. While story should remain the priority, stars can help bring attention to projects.”

Could content suffer and smaller actors lose out?

On OTT, one of the factors that positive audience response hinges on, is niche approaches to storytelling. Could more big actors mean a change in novelty and innovation? “The content has started deteriorating — wahi same goli chalaana chal raha hai. I’ve stopped watching Indian web content now because kuchh alag aa hi nahin raha hai. They’ve started commercialising this, too,” she says.

But Malhotra isn’t worried about quality going down. “OTT is purely about bingeability. Maybe a star helps bring eyeballs, but in the end, it’s the content that makes people stick to it,” he reasons, addressing the other often-expressed fear about the inevitable demand of star casts eclipsing the lesser-known faces. “Shah Rukh, Aamir, Salman (Khan) are not stepping in these shows.” Mohan adds, “They (smaller actors) will continue to get as many chances as the bigger stars, because at the end of the day, key toh content hi hai na.”