Digital platforms offering great possibilities: Ratna Pathak Shah

Veteran actress Ratna Pathak Shah, who was seen earlier this year in a Netflix film "Love Per Square Foot" and will soon be seen in another upcoming Netflix original show "Selection Day", says the digital platform opened the gates to better stories as people are running out of new ideas in mainstream cinema and television.

While she has an objection with the terminology 'OTT', an abbreviation of 'Over The Top', Ratna told IANS here: "It is not an over the top medium, really. Hopefully, this medium will talk about things around us, sometimes in an over-the-top manner and sometimes in a realistic manner. It is a medium that is offering great possibilities at the moment to the (entertainment) scenario in India.

"I think we have run out of story ideas in films, really. Nobody wants to put money in experimental stories. Even if they want, which is very few in number, they play it safe. They want a star, established names, one or two songs that will help them to promote the content."

"Netflix or platforms of this nature are actually producing a story and putting up a show for what it is. They are telling the story for what it is, so the audience gets a chance to see new ideas," she added.

"Selection Day" is a web series based on Aravind Adiga's 2016 novel of the same name. It is produced by Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor and features Rajesh Tailang, Mahesh Manjrekar, and Akshay Oberoi among others.

Ratna is always known for her skilled acting on stage and in films like "Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na", "Kapoor & Sons", "Khoobsurat", "Mirch Masala".

Her performance in the 2017 film "Lipstick Under My Burkha" was much appreciated. She played a middle-aged widow with a burning sexual desire. She was nominated in Best Supporting Actress in Filmfare Award.

So, what kind of scripts is she looking forward to these days?

The 55-year-old actress said: "Something that is different from what I have done before... It's simple. I want to work on content that reflects contemporary India. I think that the time has come to tell our stories with honesty; without hiding, pretending and glorying over that more than often the Hindi cinema and television tend to do."

"Selection Day" will stream from December 28.