Lara Dutta Calls OTT Platforms ‘Game-changer’, Says It Has Helped Create 'Real’ Characters

Lara Dutta is gearing up for the release of her web series Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond. The series debuted on JioCinema today. The actress made her OTT debut in 2020 with the series Hundred. She went on to star in OTT shows and movies like Hiccups and Hookups, Ishq-E-Nadaan, Kaun Banegi Shikhrawati and now Ranneeti. In a new interview, she opened up on the new opportunities and avenues available after the launch of digital platforms. 

You have to create content that speaks: Lara Dutta on OTT 

After starring in several projects that were made for for released directly on digital platforms, Lara Dutta shared insights regarding OTT. The actress said that with the onset of several platforms, the OTT platforms have been growing drastically. She also added that an increased number of platforms inevitably gives rise to more opportunities and artists can explore different characters. The Dilli Chalo actress emphasised that with the increase in streaming platforms the portrayal of characters has also changed. She asserted that the platform has enabled more ‘real’ characters.  

Elaborating on this, the actress told IANS: "The wonderful thing about OTT is that because there are so many platforms, you are addressing different segments of an audience. You have to create content that speaks to all of them." "It has resulted in not just greater representation of characters from different walks of life but also ones that are 'real'. OTT is a complete game-changer and has tremendous growth in the future," she said.

Raveena Tandon also hailed OTT for relieving box office pressures 

Previously, in an interview with PTI, Raveena Tandon also shared she believes that the OTT medium has “relaxed” a lot of filmmakers as they don’t have the box office pressure. The actress was last seen in the web show Patna Shukla which is the third project for Tandon in the OTT space after Netflix series Aranyak and most recently Karmma Calling, which also premiered on Disney+ Hotstar.

The actress shared, “Everyone wants their show or movie to be a hit, but those constraints that we have to encapsulate everything and establish every character in a cinematic form in two hours, that I think has relaxed the filmmakers a little and enabled them to experiment with the kind of stories they need to tell.” The National Award winner, who is currently shooting for Welcome 3, previously stated, “It's a good time for actors as somewhere a balance has been struck between OTT and theatricals. "These mediums are going hand-in-hand, helping out each other. It's a great time even for female actors. In the '90s, the shelf life of an actress would get over after she got married. She would probably retire or be expected to shift to mother or sister-in-law roles," she added.

(With inputs from agencies)