‘ACTORS OF DIFFERENT AGES, BODY TYPES GET OPTIONS ON OTT’

Having made her acting comeback with a web show, Pooja Bhatt hails the medium for its diversity and inclusivity, but fears star culture may change that
Sugandha Rawal Tagra (HINDUSTAN TIMES; April 13, 2024)

Pooja Bhatt’s return to acting after 21 years came on her own terms, with the web series Bombay Begums in 2021. And for that, the actor-director — recently seen in the web show Big Girls Don't Cry — says she has the medium to thank.

In a lot of ways, Pooja’s beginnings on OTT remind her of her first brush with acting 27 years ago. “My launch was through Daddy (1997), which my father (filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt) decided to release on Doordarshan. He was advised against it because TV was a bad word back then,” she recalls, adding, “But when it released, Daddy took me into people’s hearts and homes overnight because of its relevant theme. It proved the medium is not important, the story is. And that is what OTT also proves.”

Age no bar
Pooja — whose recent film Sanaa is doing the rounds of film festivals — made her digital debut with the layered character of Rani in Bombay Begums. Following this, she explored the non-fictional side of the space with the reality show, Bigg Boss OTT. Her most recent appearance, as the principal in Big Girls Don’t Cry, gave her another chance to portray a complex character.

Such diversity, she feels, can also be credited to OTT. The 52-year-old shares, “With the influx of streaming platforms, there are more roles for actors of different age groups, body types and backgrounds. Back in the day when I entered [showbiz], it was all about a hero, heroine, villain and hero’s friend. Those lines have blurred completely, which is wonderful.”

Giving her own example, she narrates, “I came back after 21 years and I got a character like Rani, which is close to my age. She is a woman who is dealing with menopause, marriage issues and love. She isn’t coloured with one brush.”

While she’s all praise for the freedom and opportunity that OTT provides, Pooja fears that star culture is taking over the space. “Many decision-makers are going back to old methods of casting [big] names before looking at the story. There are some backward-thinking people who ask, ‘Yeh kahani toh kaamal hai magar star kaun hai?’ And I am like, ‘Star se kya hota hai?’ You can make a star; that is the magic of OTT,” says the actor, whose next is also a web release.