I don’t like watching bold content: Sudha Chandran on OTT boom

Actors are still being categorized by the medium they are a part of. TV actors are often looked down upon when compared with their Bollywood counterparts. However, many feel OTT is an all-actor platform, where no one is judged. Eminent actor-dancer-host Sudha Chandhran talks about this categorization.

“Well I don’t think that actors have to be categorized as OTT actors, Bollywood actors or television actors, because I personally believe that we all are simply actors. I came from films that do not mean I should be categorized as a Bollywood actor who came into television and became a TV actor. For me, we all are performers, irrespective of the platform,” says Sudha, known for TV shows such as Naagin, Kahin Kissi Roz, Crime Alert, among many others.

With so many platforms churning a plethora of content, a general opinion is that it has become easy for those who are planning to pursue their acting dreams. Sudha agrees.

Well there is an OTT boom, and yes fantastic content is being made these days, but at the same time every plus has its own minus. So there are certain concepts or certain contents which I feel are a little too bold and I don't think we need to get into that content right now.

- Sudha Chandran

"Yes, it has become easy for anybody to pursue a career in acting but at the end of it I personally feel that you might get the platform but how you survive only if you are talented and also the luck factor is important. I believe in being at the right place at the right time. Also, your acting skills add into your success. It's very important to be in the right project at the right time. If things fall into place, you will get all the laurels you have dreamt off,” she adds.

Sharing her opinion, is the younger lot of actors different from the seasoned ones? “Seasoned actors came and we got prepared for the industry, especially talking about ourselves. I was very fresh and naive. I never thought of making it into the film industry. It was a process for me. I learned from evy erdirector and actor I worked with. I kept learning a lot of things and that's how I evolved as a performer. If you see today’s actors, they come with the intention of pursuing a career in films, television or OTT platforms so they are very prepared. They know how to present themselves. Talking about me, I used to look very geeky and never knew how to present myself. I mean even today I'm learning a lot from young actors like how to maintain yourself, look pretty and nice and how to update your makeup. So these are the things that I'm learning from the younger generation,” she says.

The general idea is that the OTT boom has led to the evolution of content on TV. Sudha has her own viewpoint on this.  “Well there is an OTT boom, and yes fantastic content is being made these days, but at the same time every plus has its own minus. So there are certain concepts or certain contents which I feel are a little too bold and I don't think we need to get into that content right now. It's my personal opinion, though I really like the kind of content that's coming up these days, like Panchayat, The Family Man and so on, I really look forward to them. It's nice to know that the concepts which could have not been tried in the films are being tried on the OTT and the same audience is watching it and loving it. So I think the time has come for us to experiment on both the small and big screen too,” she adds.

While the audience appreciates relatable content, one should not go overboard or the charm is lost. “There is a very thin line between real and unreal. It's a very abstract term too. What may be real to me could be unreal to somebody else and what's real to them could be unreal to me. So it's like a matter of what you want to see and you have the option if you don't like it, don't watch it. I think we need to strike a balance between being too realistic. Being too realistic at times may hurt the eyes or emotions of people. Maybe it hurts because we don't want to accept it. As a person, I don’t like watching bold content. I enjoy content that I can watch with my family,” she ends.