In 2018, Saif Ali Khan became one of the first major Bollywood stars to lead a streaming series with the crime-drama Sacred Games. Then, in 2021, he starred in Tandav, which faced backlash from certain sections of the audience for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. Since then, Saif has been absent from the OTT space but is breaking the four-year hiatus with the Netflix film Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins, set to premiere on April 25.
FREEDOM ON OTT CURBED?
We ask him if the OTT landscape has evolved in the last few years and the 54-year-old, who will be seen playing the role of a con artist in his upcoming film, says, “When we started off, we weren’t really sure. We thought there was more freedom (on OTT), maybe fewer concerns and rules in that sense. (After Tandav), a lot of people realised that there are certain areas you should stay away from. We were forming some kind of self-censorship, coming up with ideas on how to steer clear of controversy and just bring out a good piece of film. Earlier, we weren’t sure. So, in that sense, we are more aware of what the landscape is now,” adding, “There are certain things I wouldn’t do and productions probably wouldn’t either. We know where we should and shouldn’t go, but there’s still so much to explore. It’s such an exciting medium, and there’s so much we can do and look forward to in terms of great ideas and great stories. People are still talking about Adolescence, which right now seems like the biggest thing that’s ever happened on OTT, that’s the potential of the medium.”
Much like Saif, many filmmakers, including Hansal Mehta and Anurag Kashyap, have heaped praise on the mini-series Adolescence. However, they’ve also expressed concern that such content would never be commissed in India and claimed that storytelling is being sidelined in favour of commercial gain. Considering his own experience with the criticism surrounding his last OTT outing, when asked if he too feels that creative freedom on OTT platforms is being curbed, Saif says, “It’s a complex issue, and I don’t want to get into it right now.”
He, however, adds, “Just because it’s free doesn’t mean the idea is to offend anyone. Personally, I feel quite free. I don’t feel my freedom is restricted at all when I’m acting on OTT. I’m also happy to steer clear of controversial subjects that don’t need to be told. If someone else feels their freedom is being curbed, I don’t know (about that), but I personally don’t experience that.”
STAR CULTURE ON OTT
Since Saif’s debut on OTT in 2018, many big screen stars have followed suit. Most recently, actors Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon and Bhumi Pednekar among others ventured into the digital space. Ask Saif if he thinks the traditional star system is creeing into the OTT space, and whether or not it has benefitted the OTT landscape, and he says, “I don’t think OTT benefits necessarily from having a star unless it creates a lot of buzz like when it’s somebody’s OTT debut, in that case it would. But, the script is the star.”
Sharing that he has never thought of himself as a ‘star’ but an actor, Saif says that “now more than ever, people want to see realistic characters rather than people who are larger-than-life”.
“Things have changed a lot, where more relatable, even relatable looking characters can effectively drive a show. In that sense, the whole concept of stardom itself has changed. OTT doesn’t need a movie star to drive a show or a series and it has been proven so often. What you really need is an effective actor,” says Saif.
Meanwhile, actor Jaideep Ahlawat, who is Saif’s co-star in the film and will be seen playing the role of crime lord Rajan Aulak, too weighed in on the star culture on OTT. Having worked in multiple projects in the digital space including Three Of Us (2022), Jaane Jaan (2023) and Maharaj (2024), Jaideep says that having a movie star onboard an OTT project “definitely catches eyeballs”. He, however, adds, “At the same time, the content and the script of the show has to be really good to reach people. Just having a star doesn’t work because OTT is a different medium. The script has to good for audiences to talk about it and be convinced to watch it.”
Filmmaker Siddharth Anand, who is backing the project, too shared this thoughts: “They (movie stars) do bring certain eyeballs. But the way I see it today, platforms and experiences are beyond stars. People are looking for real performances and connections. And I think the thrust has been that a lot of shows and movies, or rather shows with stars, haven’t really done well lately. So it’s not the stars that are going to draw you in. Everyone recognises that—the creators, even stars. In fact, the stars are hungry for great creators and great creations because they want to be part of great work, work that is recognised and appreciated. Because that’s what eventually leads to stardom.”
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