“The OTT boom has just come in at the right time,” exclaims actor Rakul Preet Singh, who believes the rise of the digital space will not diminish the power of the big screen, instead strengthen the roots of storytelling, in the country.
“We’ve been through some really unfortunate times. The times when we couldn’t go out to watch content on the big screen. And the OTT has helped us access so much entertainment, which isn’t restricted to India, but is from across the globe,” says Singh on an optimistic note.
It was during the lockdown last year when the filmmakers looked at OTT platforms to release their ready and pending projects, and the sentiment somewhat continues to exist with uncertainties looming large.
“Our films get the opportunity to be viewed across the globe. We had never heard of that before. And then, there’s so much exchange of creative content across countries, with Indian content also being consumed in the West and appreciated,” notes the actor.
The 30-year-old asserts there’s an unlimited push to keep churning out better things. “The writing has evolved and there are more opportunities for people. If there were 10 films being made before, now there are 10 shows also being made or more,” she points.
Though she feels the web is a great space for the industry as well as actors, Singh isn’t discounting the fact that audiences still consume content according to their taste.
“There’s a different audience for OTT projects, and a different audience for masala films. And though of course, the magic of cinema will always remain to be magical, I think coexisting together is a great time to be in,” she opines.
And she has already started her OTT journey, with her recent film Sardar Ka Grandson getting rave response for stirring an emotional chord through a family story with reflection of the grief of partition between India and Pakistan. In fact, she reveals that the story comes with a personal connect.
“We can’t imagine the pain they went through at that time. My grandfather had this desire to go back to his house in Lahore, and we even tried. But we couldn’t. I wish we could have fulfilled his wish, because I lost my grandfather about a year and a half back. And that thought just stayed in my mind subconsciously when I was shooting the film, which celebrates family, and bond with grandparents,” says Singh, who has started shooting with the unlock process underway across the country.