11th Hour, Live Telecast, Family Man season 2 — the common link among these web series that will be released on various Over-the-Top (OTT) platforms is that they have the top leading ladies of Tollywood playing significant roles. Another yet to be titled web series with Rana Daggubati and Venkatesh playing the lead roles is also on the cards. Gone are the days when lead actors were seen only on the big screen in their peak. Now, they are simultaneously making their way into the OTT market. They are experimenting with different roles and putting stereotypes aside.
Lead actors are of the opinion that OTT platforms give them the opportunity to ‘break rules.’ As reported on TNM earlier, Samantha Akkineni in an interview said that she has broken several rules for her web series and that she had the opportunity to experiment while working on Family Man season 2. In this season, one can expect her in a surprising role, Samantha said. The first season of Family Man, which released on Amazon Prime Video, became a hit, and had actor Priyamani as the female lead.
Film critics say that this is going to be a ‘progressive trend’. “This is a good trend and is going to be progressive, as it would be replicated by other actors also in the future, given the ever-increasing trend of OTT platforms and the concept of web series,” says Suresh Kavirayani, a Telugu film critic.
He further says that content is the king, whether it's the big screen or the small one. “The lead actors should keep in mind the content, whether it's the theatre or the mobile screen. It’s the quality of the content that drives the audience towards them. The makers should also come up with quality web series and do these projects with the same passion as a movie for the big screen," he says.
While Samantha’s web series is going to be released on Amazon Prime Video, Tamannaah Bhatia’s 11th Hour will be released on Aha. Kajal Aggarwal's Live Telecast will stream on Disney+Hotstar.
Commenting on 11th Hour, Ajit Thakur, CEO, Aha, says, “11th Hour is one of the best scripts that we had and we thought a story like this needs showcasing globally. And to create that impact and scale, we first roped in one of the best directors. Then the final milestone for scaling up was getting an acclaimed actor like Tamannaah, who is not only a big star but also a fantastic actor who is popular with Telugu audiences worldwide. This kind of casting will take aha as a brand to many more households.”
Meanwhile, critics opine that the OTT platforms are actively encouraging the trend.
“Players like Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Aha are investing big in producing original content and roping in good production houses and technicians. They are not compromising on paying good remuneration either to the actors. These are some of the significant factors for any lead actor to consider an opportunity. When these conditions are fulfilled, the actors may be okay to choose OTT, ” says CR Hemanth, another film critic.
He adds that this is a very interesting time for writers, directors and actors to create content as OTTs give them room for experimentation and do something creative without the intense pressure that they usually feel for a theatrical release.
However, producers who have been investing in theatrical releases for years, say that though web series on OTT platforms is a trend, theatrical releases are what keep the stars in the people's memory.
“Any star actor can do web series for OTT, but the stars should simultaneously do films for theatres as well if they do not want their stardom to fade, and the audience to forget them," says Prasanna Kumar from the Telugu Film Producers' Council (TFPC).