Three years is a lot of time for things to change. And they have in the OTT world, according to Randeep Hooda, who is returning to the digital space with the second season of Inspector Avinash. The JioHotstar show’s first season premièred in 2023. In the years in between, the medium went from being a potent platform for “experimental content” to now fighting for subscribers, observed the actor.

“There was a ray of hope for experimental content. But let’s keep in mind that OTT is not here for charity. Just like filmmakers want to sell tickets, they want to sell subscriptions. The medium created a lot of stars, but now even they are not enough. Streamers are getting actors, who work in films, to [transition] to OTT, so that they can attract more subscriptions,” said Hooda, candid as always.

In the early digital boom, many artistes felt that the new entertainment avenue would back unconventional stories. A hope that Hooda too harboured. But today, web offerings have begun to feel more formulaic, he noted.

“These days, I can predict what’s going to happen in a show, in the fourth episode itself. When formula and data start governing your creative choices, creativity gets stifled. I feel all streamers now want Gaiety-Galaxy front row kind of films. They aren’t wrong; they are doing so to expand their business. If you want to experiment more, maybe move to YouTube.” 

What happens to storytelling then? “Nobody gives a damn about storytelling,” he retorted. That, as per the actor, is secondary in today’s business. “The first business is to make a story that will make you money and cast it that way.”