Aniruddh Dave: OTT Doesn’t Need Actors, It Needs Talent

Aniruddh Dave, who was part of Vikram Bhatt’s ‘Zindabaad’, says that OTT as a platform has gained huge acceptance today. In fact, the actor adds that OTT artists enjoy a different kind of popularity.

“OTT is a platform which has gained enormous popularity very quickly! Half of the population is not even aware of what the full form is, but they understand the meaning of entertainment. I don’t believe this happened only during the lockdown. But yes, this happened when people had no work and, undoubtedly, the subscription went up during that time. It’s a different revolution. Also, actors and a lot of people have started getting a lot of work because of OTT,” he says.

“OTT actors are the stars of today. Undoubtedly, they have a different demand. Vijay Verma, Mithila Palkar, Shweta Tripathi, Rasika Dugal, Aaditi Pohankar - they all are very big stars on the web. They all are stars for me, and many others too. Also, OTT doesn’t need actors, it needs talent,” he adds.

Bold scenes and crass language on OTT are a common occurrence, and the actor says that these need to justify the script. “There’s no such issue in doing any bold scenes and neither have I ever had any qualms in performing such scenes. But they should justify the character or the portrayal of the actor,” he says, adding, “20 years back, even on Star Movies, they used to mention age limit. This goes on to say that everything has an age limit. I feel some things are added to make the series more realistic. They are some things which the kids shouldn’t be allowed to watch and that is something that we need to control personally.''

With OTT, there has emerged a new crop of actors. “I’d say that this generation of actors has undergone a transition in acting. The reason is not the age gap but the craft gap. I’ve been working in different films, work, enactment, and techniques that can be shown. Every medium has its own demand. Now that OTT is gaining popularity, the new crop of actors are getting trained in a different way, which might be tough to relate to,” he adds.

As for the web series he wants to be part of, the actor says, “Well, actors and performers are not choosers. I believe in versatility and I would love to act for characters that are challenging and performance-oriented too. More than any political drama, I love slice-of-life storylines. I think Good Luck is the series I want to be part of and I would recommend it to everyone as well. It is very realistic. ‘Panchayat’ is also a very amazing series. I would say ‘Paatal Lok’ was also very well directed and I want people to really watch it. India is making content which is so good. Just like ‘Peaky Blinders’ or ‘Money Heist’ have earned so much in the name, I am sure Indian shows will also be very popular.”