Dheeraj Dhoopar: No one can beat the reach of a TV show and its actors

Actor Dheeraj Dhoopar, known for his portrayal of Prem Bharadwaj in Sasural Simar Ka and Karan Luthra in Kundali Bhagya, is all set for his new series ‘Tatlubaaz’ on Epic On (OTT).
The fact that it features prominent actors like Zeishan Quadri, Divya Agarwal, and Nargis Fakri adds to the anticipation. Dheeraj Dhoopar's commitment to taking on diverse roles and exploring new challenges in the industry is commendable. In the new series, Dheeraj, who is playing the titular role says: “Besides mine, it is Nargis’s as well as our director, Vibhu Kashyap’s debut show on OTT as well. We have given our 100% in the series and the channel has supported us fully.” He also mentions about the various shooting locations, such as Benaras, Alibaug, Goa, and Mumbai, which suggests that the series will have a visually diverse and dynamic backdrop. He adds: “Doing something new has been my priority always. As my character in the series belongs to UP so I had to adapt a certain dialect. We had to participate in workshops for that. Moreover, I had to put on 6 kilos for this to add an extra layer of authenticity.”
Working on television is quite different from OTT platform. On this, Dheeraj says: “Vibhu Kashyap was quite clear that in Tatlubaaz, there will be less styling and minimal make-up unlike television as he wants my character to look like a conman who blends into the crowd.” Dheeraj mentions the challenges of shooting in Benaras during the summer, with running scenes and intense heat on the ground. Despite the tough conditions, he expresses that he enjoyed the journey of working on Tatlubaaz.
Adding more about the difference between TV and OTT, Dheeraj gives a classic example of TV shows and actor’s popularity. He says: “Last year when I was in Leh in a small village, people could recognise me and came up to me for pictures. No one can beat the reach of a TV show and its actor. I feel both the mediums have their own set of audience. TV gives you a daily set of entertainment as people can see you every day on TV, whereas on OTT people have to wait for the next seasons to see their favourite set of actors.”
About TV content being referred to as regressive, Dheeraj says: “I have been working on television for last 18 years. To say TV content is regressive is a very random comment. No one denies that there is scope for change on the content shown on Indian television but is the audience ready to accept that? Because audience like what’s shown on TV and it becomes a trend. It depends on story to story and channel to channel. At the end of the day it’s the business. What’s important is the audience’s wishes.”
Overall, it sounds like "Tatlubaaz" is shaping up to be an exciting project, combining the efforts of a talented cast and a director making his debut in the OTT space. It will be intriguing to see how Dheeraj Dhoopar's portrayal of the titular character unfolds in this new series.