Along with a comfortable viewing experience, what OTT has also given rise to is the play/pause culture, where a viewer can move on from a project if they don’t enjoy it, unlike a theatrical release, where they might wait, having paid for the ticket. Does actor Rasika Dugal, who has starred in web projects such as Mirzapur, Delhi Crime and Adhoora, find OTT a tougher medium to crack? “That is a pressure people from marketing or content heads from the platforms face. As a creative person, I don’t feel that pressure,” says the 38-year-old.
She adds, “I believe if a story is compelling and you have told it well, the audience will appreciate it. I don’t feel that pehle episode mein kuchh dhamakedaar hona zaruri hai audience ko rokne ke liye. I have the pressure to perform and my job is to be present in the moment to do my work as an actor, to the best of my ability.”
Dugal believes that if you’re true to your work, no gimmicks are needed to get the viewers hooked. Talking about sensationalism, she adds, “A show like Delhi Crime was not sensational at all. The Family Man was a well-told story and the audience stuck to it. But I like the idea that the audience has control and can move away if they don’t like something. That’s fair.”