Amol Parashar opens up on protecting creative freedom of streaming platforms: OTT doesn’t warrant strict censorship..
Actor Amol Parashar backs creative freedom on OTT, feels mature viewers can choose what to watch and strict censorship isn’t needed on streaming platforms.
Actor Amol Parashar was in the digital space even before the OTT boom with the hit show TVF Tripling back in 2016. Currently basking in the success of his recent series Kull, he weighs in on the ongoing debate over increased censorship on streaming platforms.
“For some, freedom can be an avenue to express themselves in ways that enhance storytelling; for others, it can be an opportunity to shock and titillate... But I don’t think that warrants strict censorship,” the 38-year-old opines.
Ask him to elaborate and he shares, “OTT platforms allow people the freedom to choose what they want to watch or block. It’s not compulsive programming like TV and I feel most viewers are mature enough to choose for themselves.”
The actor also considers how the streaming landscape has evolved, from giving opportunities to new voices to creating a “success formula”: “The spirit of genuine adventure seems to have dampened a bit. We’re trying to formulate success in a medium based on unformulaic and fresh storytelling.”
Having carved a niche for himself in the medium, Amol shares how he navigates between OTT and mainstream Bollywood after debuting in Sardar Udham (2021).
“I hardly felt any difference in personal experience. The factor that has the most impact is the team you work with, whatever the medium may be... I’ve been lucky (and have also been careful with my choices) with the teams I get to work with,” he adds.
Amol is reported to have a busy year ahead with a rom-com opposite actor Tanya Maniktala and a comedy co-starring Shreya Dhanwanthary and Abhimanyu Dassani. He is also hoping to explore different genres. “I’d love to try something bloody and gory as it’s so different from what I’ve done so far,” he signs off.
