Actors moving to OTT not motivated by pandemic, says Ajay Devgn

Mumbai, Feb. 14 (PTI): Superstar Ajay Devgn on Monday said the shift to streaming platforms for many actors is more about finding the “right subject” in the long format of storytelling rather than a move motivated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has affected the theatrical business across the country, with many in the trade observing the rise in consumption of films and series on digital platforms.

While stars like Saif Ali Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Manoj Bajpayee had already headlined successful shows before the pandemic hit the country in “Sacred Games” and “The Family Man”, respectively, several other actors will be seen making their digital debut like Madhuri Dixit-Nene and Shahid Kapoor this year.

Devgn, who is set to make his OTT debut with “Rudra – The Edge of Darkness”, said actors have just been waiting for exciting offers from the platforms to take the plunge.

When asked if the pandemic has encouraged stars to feature on streamers, Devgn told reporters, “No, it’s not the pandemic, we were always open to OTT shows.”

The work on “Rudra – The Edge of Darkness”, a remake of the Idris Elba-starrer successful British show “Luther”, also started back in 2018.

“Everyone’s open to OTT, it’s just that you wait for the right subject. When you’re offered that, everyone’s ready to do it,” he added.

The actor was speaking at the trailer launch of the show, scheduled to release on March 4 on Disney+ Hotstar.

As an actor, Devgn said, he is only concerned about choosing projects that offer him an opportunity to do something new, regardless of the medium.

“My job is to entertain. It doesn’t matter where. I love the big screen and love to watch OTT as well in my personal time. After the pandemic it has multiplied much more. It’s great that you’re in theatres and even on OTT. You have so much scope and so many new things to do,” he added.

Set in Mumbai, “Rudra – The Edge of Darkness” is billed as a race-against-the-clock thriller that delves into the “psyche of highly intelligent criminals and the detective who hunts them”.

The 52-year-old actor, who plays a cop on the six-episode series, said he doesn’t take his craft for granted and is still nervous before a shot, despite being in the industry for over three decades.

“Everyday is a challenge. Even after working for 30 years maybe people don’t see it but before every shot you’re nervous. It may be a simple shot but you keep feeling if you’d be able to pull it off. That’s a good feeling which keeps you on your toes,” he said.

The “Tanhaji” star said he ensures that when he is not in front of the camera, he is “himself” so that he remains “sane”.

“It’s not a cake walk, but it’s also not like to get into a character I go crazy for six months. Any actor will lose their mind this way. Before coming in a set and after leaving, you have to be yourself to be sane.

“If you keep thinking, keep playing the character at home, at your office, everywhere, then you’ll end up being alone,” he added.

At the event, Devgn was also asked if he believes Hindi films will be taken over by South movies at the box office, considering that the last Bollywood hit was only “Sooryavanshi”, in which he had a special appearance.

Devgn disagreed, saying that isn’t really the case.

“It has been only five months since theatres opened, ‘Sooryavanshi’ was released which did very well. Every time a good film comes, whether it’s a South film, Hollywood or a Hindi film, it’ll work. Consecutive big Hindi films haven’t come out either. So I don’t think anyone’s saying that. I haven’t heard of it,” he said.

“Rudra – The Edge of Darkness” is produced by Applause Entertainment in association with BBC Studios India.

Rajesh Mapuskar, best known for his acclaimed award-winning Marathi film “Ventilator”, has directed the series.

Raashi Khanna, Esha Deol, Atul Kulkarni, Ashwini Kalsekar, Tarun Gahlot, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Satyadeep Misra also round the cast of the show.