Sohum Shah: Audience disconnected from cinema has come back because of OTT

Actor Sohum Shah, who was recently seen playing the role of Bihar Chief Minister Bheema Bharti in the web show "Maharani", feels that OTT had done great good for everyone in showbiz and also brought back the audience that was disconnected from cinema.

"As an actor, director, technician, OTT is very lucrative. You get to direct new content, you get more work. Technicians are getting fair prices. Earlier, writers were not respected but now they are on the top. So, the time is good for the people of the industry. However, as a producer, when you had the opportunity to make content on screen, the box office could reach anywhere and profit could come from anywhere. I think OTT limits it. But largely it is a great thing," Sohum told IANS.

He adds: "It's a personal experience that OTT has brought new audiences. I lived in Sri Ganganagar (Rajasthan) where there were six single screens but then when the culture of multiplexes came, none were built there. So, the audience got disconnected from the cinema. But now OTT is affordable and it brings back the audience. A new kind of audience is coming to us. As an actor, you want that your work should reach as much."

While the actor felt that the story of "Maharani" was unique, and has a larger-than-life vibe like the films of th seventies and eighties.

"I did feel that love will come to us but so much love, but I never thought so much appreciation would be given to us. I found the script very crisp. I think this show is like those seventies and eighties films, which were larger than life and also had everything, it felt like that. The characters are so good and fun. It was not predictable at all," he says.

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