Faisal Malik and Amit Sial in Delhi: Theatre actors are finally getting their due, thanks to OTT

Panchayat actor Faisal Malik and Jamtara actor Amit Sial, who were recently in Delhi, discussed how theatre actors are suddenly being discovered by OTT platforms and how they are dealing with an overabundance of work. The session was part of Jashn-e-Adab Cultural Kaarva and was organised by Jashn-e-Adab Sahityotsava as part of three day-long Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.


Faisal, who debuted with the role of a policeman in Gangs Of Wasseypur, told the audience that he was working on GOW as an assistant director when Anurag Kashyap asked him to wear the police uniform and play the role of a cop. He shared, “As an actor and producer, I’ve been observing the changes that OTT brought in. But what really changed the game was that in the last two years when people were locked in their homes, they consumed content like never before and viewers got a chance to explore more shows and compare them too. Actors are obviously getting opportunities like never before, but it is the audience members who’ve matured too and are consuming good content.”


‘Abundance of OTT offers means that now actors are also being typecast’
Amit Sial said, “It’s been over 17-18 years since I went to Bombay from Delhi. Ek hi cheez aapko kaayam rakhti hai aur woh hai art ke prati pyaar. Persistence is the key. I believe OTT is like a boon for actors like us who were persistent all these years regardless of whether they had Rs 5 in their pocket or Rs 500.”

Faisal also pointed out that OTT shows like Delhi Crime or Panchayat work because they are good shows and not because they headed out to become revolutionary shows. Amit added, “What I really liked about Delhi Crime (Season 1) was that there was not even a single character that looked forced. It was left to the audience’s intelligence to judge rather than having an in-your-face kind of approach that many others take. Similarly, Panchayat is a series that is quite popular but if you’ll ask ten people what they liked about it they’ll tell you ten different things because it was not an in-your- face approach. For an urban audience, it is a perfect series to understand rural life.”

Amit, who has worked in series like Maharani and Inside Edge, said that for consecutive seasons, popular thrillers are most in demand. “However, the abundance of offers also means that now actors are also being typecast in OTT series. Frankly, I have rejected over 200 roles of a police officer. I want to explore more characters. Lekin kabhi aap ki koshish safal hoti hai kabhi nahi, uska ek bahut bada reason hai aap ka bank account.”