After a spate of ineffective movies, Vidya Malavade of Chak De! India (2007) fame had written off her Bollywood career. "I wanted to stay away as nothing excited me. Now, the scenario has changed. There are more meaningful opportunities for actors," says the actor who branched into digital entertainment with Vivek Oberoi's The Family.

The boom in the OTT space has given Malavade a new lease of life as an actor. As she puts it, "I may have been absent from the scene, but I did not abandon my dream—acting. I honed my craft; attended workshops, while yoga instilled patience. It made me see the light at the end of every rejection and disappointment."