Saif Ali Khan, Suniel Shetty, Ajay Devgn, Abhishek Bachchan and Bobby Deol among others have chosen the small screen to make a big impact. Here’s how they’re reinventing themselves on OTT.
OTT platforms have been redefining the Indian entertainment industry, especially in the last few years and especially post the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The fathomless expanse of borderless content and thematic diversity has been attracting even big-screen veterans to long-format stories they could not possibly have explored in cinema.
Here is our pick of stars whose foray into OTT narratives got us all excited:
It is not hard to see why Ajay Devgn would be attracted to the British psychological crime thriller 'Luther'. The series starring Idris Elba as DCI John Luther is about a detective who doggedly goes after criminals while trying to deal with his demons and won Elba, a Critics' Choice Television Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. A Hindi adaptation seemed the next logical step and Devgn who has been busy directing and acting on the big screen for over three decades post his debut in ‘Phool Aur Kaante’, decided to finally appear on OTT as DCP Rudra. The first season of ‘Rudra: The Edge of Darkness' is directed by the national award-winning director, Rajesh Mapuskar and was released on Disney+ Hotstar. Produced by Applause Entertainment and BBC Studios India, 'Rudra' also stars Atul Kulkarni, Esha Deol, and Rashi Khanna.
Suniel Shetty is a man of many parts and since his debut in the action thriller 'Balwaan' opposite Divya Bharti in 1992, he has starred in over 100 films and is a much-loved part of the industry as a producer and actor. The trade is now excitedly buzzing about his debut on OTT. He had two shows come in quick succession. He began his journey with 'Dharavi Bank' on MX Player, which was one of the top shows on the platform for over 8 weeks. The show saw Suniel Shetty as a local don who had an immense hold on the people of the area. There are reports that the show might have a second season soon. The show also had Vivek Oberoi as one of the leads opposite Shetty. Also, a couple of months down the line, Shetty came up with ‘Hunter Tootega Nahi Todega’. The show saw him as a cop trying to heal his past and earn some redemption. Things however got complicated when he got implicated in the murder of an old woman. Shetty was paired opposite Esha Deol in this series helmed by Prince Dhiman and Alok Batra. This also starred Barkha Bisht, Rahul Dev, and Chahat Tewani among others. The action-packed whodunnit released on Amazon MiniTV.
Who would have thought that a disinterested actor who made a forgettable debut in the 1993 dud 'Parampara' would one day emerge as one of the Hindi film industry's biggest risk-takers? Be it as a producer or as an actor, Saif Ali Khan today plays by his own rules and made a splash in the OTT space as a Sikh cop Sartaj Singh in the Netflix series, 'Sacred Games' (2019) much before his peers had realised the potential of streamers. The series based on Vikram Chandra’s eponymous novel depicts the battle of wills between Saif's Sartaj and the gangster Ganesh Gaitonde (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). This was the first ever Indian Netflix original series and went on to be nominated for the Emmys. The two seasons produced by Phantom Films were jointly directed by Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, and Neeraj Ghaywan. Saif also appeared recently in 'Tandav.'
It would not be wrong to say that Abhishek Bachchan has been able to break out of a pattern of rather mundane roles in films thanks to the varied opportunities that OTT seems to offer to actors. His role as a psychotic killer whose alter ego leads a perfectly normal life as a family man and a doctor in the two seasons of ‘Breathe: Into The Shadows’ on Amazon Prime Video, paved the way for many more. He did an interesting role in Netflix's black comedy, ‘Ludo’ and then in Zee5's thriller movie, 'Bob Biswas.' The biopic 'The Big Bull,' was also digitally released on Disney+ Hotstar. ‘Breathe: Into the Shadows’ however, was Abhishek's first brush with the long format. The series was directed by Mayank Sharma and produced by Abundantia Entertainment. Amit Sadh and Nithya Menen played pivotal roles. The second season also did phenomenally on the platform.
Bobby Deol is truly destiny's child. He first appeared as a pudgy child artist in Manmohan Desai's 1977 blockbuster 'Dharamveer' and then made his debut as a leading man in 'Barasat', 'Gupt: The Hidden Truth', 'Soldier' and 'Ajnabi' and many others. In 2020, he surprised everyone, including possibly himself when his MX Player series 'Aashram' became an instant hit. He also appeared in the Netflix film ‘Class Of 83’ and in 'Love Hostel' which was streamed on Zee5. 'Aashram' however continues to be the high point of his OTT foray and was directed and produced by Prakash Jha. Bobby's turn as Baba Nirala has won over even the most hardened critics. The third season of the series was released in June 2022. Aaditi Pohankar and Darshan Kumar also play prominent roles.