Sumeet Vyas utilised his time in the lockdown and he shot for a web series, Wakaalat From Home, “instead of just watching TV and sleeping”. He is glad to be creative and work and thankful that he finished shooting for the show in May before his baby was born. “It was a novel experience and quite technical to shoot from home,” he says.

With hit shows like Permanent Roommates and Tripling, the actor says the rise of OTT enabled not just him but a number of makers and technicians, too. He explains, “With limitations in films and TV content, people couldn’t express their creativity like they can on OTT. Now, they can make the shows they want to and that’s why there is a huge rise in consumption, including edgier and dramatic shows. I feel a new wave of lighter and comic shows will be next.”

While on OTT he found love and acceptance, Vyas also admits that there is a hierarchy regarding actors. “Film actors are at the top, OTT actors in between and then there are TV actors. It shouldn’t matter as we are all actors. But that is changing, too. Today, web shows are on everyone’s list. OTT changed the game for me,” says Vyas.

Talking about his career graph, he adds, “After the comedy shows, I got similar roles, so I consciously opted for drama shows like The Verdict - State vs Nanavati, It’s Not That Simple. Playing grey roles let me break my comic image. Had I been a TV or film actor essentially, it might have not been so easy. Makers wouldn’t have the confidence to change the image of an actor.”