Actor Abhishek Banerjee’s last web show, Rana Naidu, has been fetching him good reviews. But the project has also been subjected to criticism given the use of strong language and expletives, something several OTT projects have been criticized for, of late. Banerjee says, “See (American director) Quentin Tarantino’s films or other great films, abusive language is very common in Hollywood or any other film industry. We shy away from it in case of Hindi projects. Duniya mein log gaaliyaan dete hi hain.”

The 35-year-old adds that such language is used in web shows only when needed. “It is the grammar of certain scripts, stories or characters where they abuse. My character in Rana Naidu, Jaffa, doesn’t abuse much, but (actors) Rana Daggubati and Venkatesh Daggubati’s characters do. If there’s a character who has just come out from jail, will they talk sophisticatedly?” he asks.

But what about the excessive use of abusive language because of the lack of censorship in the web space? “Censorship in a creative field is a waste of creative energy,” says the Paatal Lok (2020) actor.

Sharing how OTT has been a blessing for creative minds, Banerjee adds, “Web mein scope toh mila hai na, to actually do what we were not able to do in films? OTT is very raw and I like that. If we start making it glossy, then it will become the same palate (as films).”

Referring to the kind of language used in web shows, the actor says it’s unfair to paint all the projects with the same brush. “There are many web shows that don’t have abusive language. In fact, some channels don’t like that. I shot a film for the web, where I thought I could abuse, but my director and the platform said no,” Banerjee ends.