With actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui quitting OTT platforms, calling them dumping grounds for redundant shows, we asked industry insiders about saturation, quality control and the role of government intervention
Information Technology Minister Ravi Shanker Prasad and Information and Broadcasting Minster Prakash Jawdekar announced new guidelines to curb abuse of social media platforms and regulate the OTT platforms in February 2021. Pic/Getty Images
Is too much of a good thing, a really bad thing? Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui seems to think so, as he recently announced his decision to quit OTT platforms, observing that they have become repositories of shows that don’t deserve to be seen, or are sequels that have nothing more to say. “When I did Sacred Games for Netflix, there was an excitement and challenge around the digital medium. New talent was being given a chance. Now, that freshness is gone,” lamented the actor, adding that, “It’s become dhanda [racket] for big production houses and actors who are now so-called stars on the OTT platform. Major film producers in Bollywood have cut lucrative deals with all the big players in the OTT field. Producers get whopping amounts to create unlimited content. Quantity has killed quality.”