Amol Parashar is slowly making a name for himself on the OTT circuit

Amol Parashar is an IIT graduate. He started doing theatre in college and fell in love with the process. After his graduation, while he did grab a high-paying corporate job, his heart wouldn’t commit  to the corporate rat race. He decided to take a break from his job to pursue theatre professionally, which led to more opportunities, including ads and films.

He played Ranbir Kapoor’s friend in Rocket Singh: Salesman Of The Year (2009). Though his work got appreciated, offers were still hard to come by. He did act in films like Babloo Happy Hai (2014), Dombivli Return (2014), Mili (2015) and Traffic (2016). The same year, he cut his teeth on the OTT circuit with TVF Tripling and since then there has been no looking back as far as the OTT is concerned. Ask him what he finds more difficult, working in films versus working in a web series and he goes all serious saying that the medium shouldn’t concern an actor. “My job is to give my best to every role, irrespective of where it’s getting aired. The length or the treatment might defer but essentially an actor’s job is to be as truthful to his role as he can be,” he asserts.
He felt no qualms when his film Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare, which was to get released in cinemas, got released on OTT because of the pandemic. “I was born of the digital space. For me it’s my hometown. It’s true that when I signed it, it was supposed to have a theatrical release but none of it changes the fact that we all gave it our best. I found out that the film was released in 193 countries digitally and it was accessible to millions. Maybe this wouldn’t have been the case with a theatrical release. Also, my audience has been watching me on digital platforms so it’s better for me. People didn’t have to go to the theatre and wonder who’s this new guy.”

The film got a fair share of flak because a certain section of the audience felt that it depicted women as having loose morals. He shakes his head at that and says today we have a problem with everything, even with a women-centric film that talks about women empowerment.  “We are starting to call things sensitive because some people are getting sensitive. There are people who might like or dislike it but they don’t get sensitive about it. If we keep saying it’s sensitive, we are manipulating their outlook towards the film or show,” he reflects.

Currently, there is a huge hue and cry over censoring OTT content. Amol wonders why it’s so. He explains that you have to consciously use the remote to reach the content you want. “So if someone doesn’t want to watch a particular programme, then he/she just shouldn’t pick up the remote. It’s that simple. No one is forcing them. The platforms also categorise content as violent or sexual in nature for the viewers to make their own choices,” he reasons.

Amol’s latest show on MX Player, Aapkey Kamrey Main Koi Rehta Hai (AKMKRH) also stars his Tripling co-star Sumeet Vyas, and Swara Bhasker. The show has paranormal elements in it, involving Swara Bhasker. Amol says there is no difference between Swara’s reel life and real life personas. “She is who she is. There is no difference in the Swara you see in person or in interviews. She’s a bulldozer who bulldozes through people and it’s fun. Unfiltered, unabashed and unpretentious, she doesn’t behave in a way people expect her too. Sometimes we have to remind her that she’s famous so a little sophistication will help.”

Ask him to reveal whether he felt closer to Chitvan from Tripling or to Kavi from AKHKRH and he goes into Zen mode once again. “I feel the more you tell yourself I’m a lot like a character, you start to limit yourself to those traits. So when a different character is given to you, you start to stress about what all preparation needs to go into it. I try not to create such self boundaries,” quips he, Yoda-like.

He’s all set to play Bhagat Singh in Shoojit Sircar’s Sardar Udham Singh, starring Vicky Kaushal. He’s keeping his fingers crossed on that. He doesn’t want to reveal much about the future. Says he, “My only criteria is that I should enjoy myself doing a role. If that’s met, I’m happy.” For someone who’s just  about taking baby steps in showbiz, he sure knows his mind. 

Currently, there is a huge hue and cry over censoring OTT content. Amol wonders why it’s so. He explains that you have to consciously use the remote to reach the content you want. “So if someone doesn’t want to watch a particular programme, then he/she just shouldn’t pick up the remote. It’s that simple. No one is forcing them. The platforms also categorise content as violent or sexual in nature for the viewers to make their own choices,” he reasons.

Amol’s latest show on Netflix, Aapkey Kamrey Main Koi Rehta Hai (AKMKRH) also stars his Tripling co-star Sumeet Vyas, and Swara Bhasker. The show has paranormal elements in it, involving Swara Bhasker. Amol says there is no difference between Swara’s reel life and real life personas. “She is who she is. There is no difference in the Swara you see in person or in interviews. She’s a bulldozer who bulldozes through people and it’s fun. Unfiltered, unabashed and unpretentious, she doesn’t behave in a way people expect her too. Sometimes we have to remind her that she’s famous so a little sophistication will help.”