OTT: The Messiah Of Struggling Actors (Indian Edition)
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- 16 Aug 2022
The massively growing OTT platforms are a kind of blessing for the rising stars in the film industry. The newly evolved actors struggle to get a breakthrough on the big screen. In such a situation, OTT platforms have proved to be knights in shining armour for the fantastic talents in India and the world.
But what is OTT?
The term OTT stands for Over-The-Top. It means providing television and film content services to customers who only request a particular service. As the term suggests, the service provider serves over top of all the available services.
How did the shift from IPTV to OTT come into being?
In the mid-1990s, the delivery of digital television content was ripe through the use of the internal protocol. The prerequisites of customers for the service include:
- A set-top box.
- A TV subscription.
- A contract.
- A technician to connect the array of services.
Digital cable, Satellite TV, and many such multiple streams, even though they are made available at different locations, still limit a customer's choice to only one service provider. Thus, creating a market monopoly and inflating prices.
After OTT stepped into the market, the customers could avail of multiple options in choosing the service providers. Customers can view their content on any device of their choice, such as computers, tablets, mobile, laptops, televisions, etc. The customers can have higher control over the content which they want to enjoy through app switching. All these facilities provided by OTT have led to the gradual capture of the IPTV market.
The unforgettable OTT actors
OTT has provided emerging actors with enough opportunities to prove their abilities and master new acting skills. It is like a new sun in the galaxy of media.
It seems that the audience is about to forget the existence of Bollywood due to the emergence of the OTT platform as a brilliant form of entertainment, which was required the most in the film industry.
We have seen that the OTT shows and movies have presented us with excellent performances that Bollywood hardly recognises. Audiences have welcomed this availability of choice. Moreover, the OTT platforms also gave the lesser-known actors a chance to shine.
Let's look at some of the stars whose careers have been refurbished through OTT shows.
1. Pankaj Tripathi. (Kaleen Bhaiya)
Pankaj Tripathi as Kaleen Bhaiyya in Mirzapur (Season 1 & 2)
This man had been in Bollywood for years, but the moviemakers did not utilise his potential well. His excellence had never been under the sun. All this was over with him working in Mirzapur as Kaleen Bhaiya, making crowds go crazy. This gem of an actor did not look back since. He presented his audience with dashing performances one after the other. His work gives excellent acting skills in every shot.
2. Ali Fazal (Guddu Bhaiya)
Ali Fazal as Guddu Bhaiya in Mirzapur (Season 1 & 2)
His career in acting also got new pair of wings after Mirzapur. The fans of Mirzapur welcomed Guddu Bhaiya with open arms. His phenomenal body language and dialogue delivery have added mouth-watering flavours to Mirzapur. Such a talent was never highlighted by big screens before. After his recognition from Mirzapur, Ali Fazal has contributed many other glorious performances to the OTT.
3. Radhika Apte (Tehran)
Radhika Apte in Ghoul
Radhika Apte has influenced OTT in such a manner that after her few works with Netflix, she has gained the fame of the Queen of OTT. Be it Sacred games or Ghoul, Radhika Apte has blown the audiences' minds with her dynamic performances.
4. Jaideep Ahlawat ( Hathi Ram Chaudhary)
Jaideep Ahlawat as Hathi Ram Chaudhary in Paatal lok
After playing side roles in Bollywood for years, Jaideep Ahlawat has finally garnered recognition through a show on the OTT platform. His role proved that not only the lead actors but a side character can equally make a considerable onscreen impact. His first revolutionary performance was seen in Paatal Lok, where we see him as a police officer who fights to revive his prestige against mysterious powers.
5. Nawazuddin Siddiqui (Gaitonde)
Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Gaitonde in Sacred Games (Season 1 & 2)
Nawazuddin Siddiqui has not only said, "Kabhi kabhi lagta hai, apun hi Bhagwan hai," but also proved it through his works. His role as Gaitonde in Sacred Games gave his career a new breath of life. He is considered the Bhagwan of OTT.
6. Vikrant Massey (Bablu)
Vikrant Massey as Bablu in Mirzapur (Season 1)
Popularly known as Bablu by the fans, this actor made his first debut in acting in a TV serial. Then he tried to make it in Bollywood but went unrecognized. After making a comeback through the OTT show Mirzapur, he rocked his audience with his fabulous performance. Even though he played a negative character, the role of a gangster, his death made the viewers cry with his moving performance.
7. Jitendra Kumar (Abhishek Tripathi)
Jitendra Kumar as Abhishek Tripathi in Panchayat (Season 1 & 2)
Popularly known as Bablu by the fans, this actor made his first debut in acting in a TV serial. Then he tried to make it in Bollywood but went unrecognised. After making a comeback through the OTT show Mirzapur, he rocked his audience with his fabulous performance. Even though he played a negative character, the role of a gangster, his death made the viewers cry with his moving performance.
8. Pratik Gandhi (Harshad Rai Mehta)
Pratik Gandhi as Harshad Rai Mehta in Scam 1992
His performance in Scam 1992 is an experience to remember. His expressions, body language, and overall appearance were so awesome that the series' success rate touched the skies. It is the only Indian Hindi web series that made its place in the first 100 epic shows of IDMB. The struggle of this forty-year-old actor is an example of the upcoming actors. He spent months without any income and just giving auditions to directors. Besides rocking the OTT platform, Pratik Gandhi is also a famous face in Bollywood and Gujarati films.
Conclusion
Today's audience constantly wants something new and more convenient. Movie buffs have discovered OTT platforms searching for a more convenient and cheerful entertainment medium. It is the audience who brought the platform to light and explored its actual potential.
Why do people love it? It is one of the go-to platforms to relax and binge-watch some good content over the weekend! But more than that, it's an excellent platform for newly emerging actors/actresses to make their way in the film
industry. It serves them an opportunity to showcase their talent directly to the masses. One can say that OTT platforms will never run out of popularity; if anything, they will only grow in popularity and creativity!
Poonam Sharma
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