Manoj Bajpayee is now the most sought-after actor in Bollywood; all credit goes to his impeccable acting skills and mesmerizing on-screen presence. The actor's recent web series Family Man 2 was a huge success worldwide, and it has literally elevated his star power among the audiences. And now, in a conversation with Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group, and film critic Shubhra Gupta at Express e-Adda, Bajpayee has opened up about OTT platforms, and the way in which direct OTT releases are revolutionizing the industry.
Mumbai's King is OTT
During the talk, Manoj Bajpayee was asked about the real King of Mumbai, and as expected, the answer was not Shah Rukh Khan. Instead, he revealed that the real King of Mumbai now is OTT.
"I am not the king of Mumbai, but the kind of balance Satya portrayed, I understood that this audience is not ready for the kind of cinema that I want to do. So, I realized we should not shock or surprise them. We should go slow. OTT is the King of Mumbai now. OTT has completely changed the game that it is becoming difficult for people to make anything just in the name of entertainment," said Bajpayee.
Bajpayee also added that the present time where OTT is getting acceptance is very democratic and ideal.
"I am coming on OTT, my films are coming to OTT. I am getting so many choices, so is Pankaj Tripathi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Rasika Duggal and so many others. It is a democratic, ideal time. I am anxious if this amazing time continues," added Bajpayee.
When film industry focusses entirely on box-office
Manoj Bajpayee also added that the Indian film fraternity has missed several talents as the entire industry is focussing just on box-office figures. However, he admitted that there is nothing wrong with paying a huge profit for superstars in movies.
"That's how producers and directors were casting. They were going to stars so that they could give them numbers at the box office. They created films around stars to bring in profit, and in such a scenario if that actor takes 50-60 percent of the profit, I don't see anything wrong with it," said Bajpayee.
Bajpayee's latest release on OTT was Dial 100. The film was premiered on August 06 on Zee5, and upon its release, it received mixed to positive responses from audiences.
