With the click of a button, content across genres and languages can cater to one’s whim for the day. The OTT revolution, which has brought stories from far and wide to the fore, continues to be hailed for providing a platform for artistes to experiment. However, content has been dropping with an overwhelming frequency, with audiences complaining of viewer fatigue and depleting quality of late. Earlier, actors Sikandar Kher and Sharib Hashmi, have said that a check on the quality of content needs to be maintained. Actor Manav Kaul certainly thinks so, as he says, “Everything is a reflection of society.” The actor has starred in shows like Ghoul (2018), The Verdict- State vs Nanavati (2019), The Fame Game (2023) and CA Topper,
everything can change
The 47-year-old opines, “Suddenly, you gave this medium to writers as a playground. They got freedom and they delivered; but to sustain that, we haven’t given them any value, because we don’t value them in society. The day we start celebrating writers, everything will change.”
The audience dictates
Crediting this depletion in quality to the lack of demand by the audience, he shares, “It’s the audience that is dictating what we are making. If you watch something without depth, and you are getting entertained by that, then that will be made more. If you are not searching for a higher form of entertainment for yourself, you will get what you deserve — cheap entertainment.”
The solution for this, Manav feels, is “asking for more”. “The audience should be greedy. When you are searching for better shows to watch, you are implying that you won’t be entertained by something below par, you need to be given something more,” he adds.
different levels of pressure
Manav has featured in several direct-to-OTT films, including the likes of Nail Polish, Strange stories, Dybbuk (all 2021), Jalsa (2022) and Trial Period (2023). Ask him if OTT has become a safer space for producers during these uncertain box-office times, and he is quick to say, “Not at all.” Calling the level of pressure “different”, he says, “The lens through which OTT is watched is very different from theatrical releases. Makers have to negotiate with the channels and the product has to work and give numbers to the platform.”
But he does feel that this pressure is “quite exciting”: “You’re not competing with only Indian content. People across the world are watching our shows in their own languages. What can be more exciting than that?”
Manav asserts that OTT brings all artistes together as one community irrespective of the place of origin. “If Javier Bardem (Spanish actor) is doing something in the West, we are also doing something here. The way I am talking about Javier today, hopefully, one day he will also talk about me,” he signs off.
