Aamir Ali Says His Image As 'TV Star' Limited Offers On OTT: I’m Too Hero...

Aamir Ali, known for starring in several popular television shows like Woh Rehne Waali Mehlon Ki, FIR, Dilli Wali Thakur Gurls and more, said that he found it challenging to make the switch from television to streaming. In contrast to other well-known television actors like Vikrant Massey and Mrunal Thakur, who entered Bollywood after working on television, Aamir started out as a film actor before switching to television due to financial difficulties.

Aamir Ali on his transition to OTT platforms

In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Aamir said his image as a TV star stopped him from getting better roles on OTT. The actor said, “The OTT offers I got were very TV-based. I called the makers over for dinners, but they didn’t offer me roles. And the response was, ‘We don’t think you fit this character’. They were only seeing me as a TV star.”

Talking about his contemporaries like Vikrant Massey and Mrunal Thakur, who successfully made the switch to Bollywood, Aamir stated it was easier for them as they weren’t as established as him in the television industry. He added, “People who’ve done TV and then done OTT and films, like Mrunal or Vikrant, they were not TV stars. They’d done one or two serials here and there, in supporting roles, and they utilised all the valuable lessons they learned on TV… But I’d become a star, so it was difficult for me to get roles.”

Aamir, who starred in 8 television shows as a lead actor, was eventually chosen for the ZEE5 OTT series Naxalbari and Black Widows. He also had appearances in the Disney+ Hotstar series The Trial and Lootere.

Eijaz Khan, Rati Pandey talk about prejudices against TV actors 

Previously, other television actors like Eijaz Khan and Rati Pandey have also weighed in on the TV actors typecasting debate. Eijaz had said that television stars have limited opportunities in movies but there are some actors from the small screen, who have got their due. He said, “But there’s a glass ceiling, and you are told, ‘Don’t do TV for two-three years, then we will work’ or directors have said, ‘We will not work with actors who have done Bigg Boss because they are overexposed or ‘We are not taking TV but OTT actors.’”

In a conversation with Pinkvilla, when asked if she ever faced the discrimination TV actors usually face when auditioning for other mediums, Rati had said that she did go through the experience when she auditioned for a certain web series where the makers weren't looking for a TV actress, and even if they were, they offered a very small part of the role and nothing more.