‘THE PHASE OF SEX AND VIOLENCE ON OTT HAS PASSED NOW’
Actor Prosenjit Chatterjee feels this is the right time to explore the digital space
Sugandha Rawal (BOMBAY TIMES; June 10, 2023)

The latest addition to the growing list of mainstream actors foraying into the OTT space, Prosenjit Chatterjee made his web debut with Jubilee, and followed it Hansal Mehta’s investigative drama, Scoop. Calling it the “right time” to explore the digital space, the actor feels the medium has moved on from the “sex and violence” phase — that it heavily relied on initially — and is now embracing wholesome stories.

In Jubilee, the actor, mainly known for his work in Bengali cinema, essayed the role of a fictional yesteryear film tycoon, Srikant Roy — a ruthless, ambitious yet vulnerable movie maker. Meanwhile, in Scoop, he portrays the character based on late journalist Jyotirmoy Dey, whose murder in 2011 shook the entire media fraternity.

In a candid chat, Chatterjee opens up about his journey so far and comparisons with other mediums that’s inevitable.

After your OTT debut, there wasn’t much gap before your second show also released. Was it a conscious choice to have back-to-back outings?
No, it wasn’t. While Jubilee was a very planned thing, I did not know Scoop would be out so soon. Jubilee was pushed almost by a year because of the pandemic. Such decisions are not in my hands. Also, I did Scoop only for Hansal, who is a dear friend.

Was there any particular moment that led to the decision that you want to venture into a new medium?
We can’t sit and plan such things. Like, we didn’t know OTT platforms would be so big in India, or Jubilee would become this big — critically, technically, and commercially. I started my career through Bengali films, and have seen the industry change in the last 40 years. I’m always keen on working with new directors. As an actor, it allows me scope to reinvent. And both these OTT shows did that.

You talked about the growth of OTT platforms during the pandemic, and we have seen content and talent from regional industries garnering a lot of praise. Do you feel these language barriers are finally being broken?
When we say India produces the largest number of films and shows, we are not just talking about Hindi, Bengali, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, or Marathi. But collective projects. With OTT platforms coming in, the best thing we all can say is that we are making Indian content. I might be sitting in Mumbai or Punjab, and making content that will be watched across the country. We are pan India in the true sense because of the medium. In terms of the storytelling, too, there are some stories which directors can’t do [justice to] in cinemas, but digital is a great platform to tell those stories. Not to forget documentation, which isn’t there is case of theatrical releases. For instance, Jubilee, even after 20 years, if somebody wants to watch the show, they can watch it.

The medium often gets called out for being too explicit and at times, vulgar — either in the language or scenes. Do you feel there needs to be censorship for the web?
Not censorship, but there has to be a way similar to television. The small screen has some rules and regulations. They should be for the OTT world, too. Also, the responsibility lies with the makers about the content they put out. However, I feel that phase has gone. Initially, it was [all] about sex and violence, which is not the case any more, at least not as much as it was earlier. That’s the reason why people are now watching [shows such as] Rocket Boys, Jubilee or Scam 1992. Audiences have also started watching content from a different perspective, which is great.

How do you define the present OTT phase?
OTT reaches out to a wider audience base. The vision is the same as television, though it will take some more time to get there.