Shows based on reality are gaining more popularity: Sohum Shah

Sohum Shah has been in the Hindi film industry for almost a decade now. The actor, who has been part of several critically acclaimed films like ‘Ship of Theseus’ and ‘Tumbaad’, is now breaking the mould with projects like ‘Bigg Bull’ and ‘Maharani’.

Speaking to Adgully, Sohum Shah opened up about his journey in the industry, being an outsider, impact of OTT on viewers, and more.

GAMEXX Awards 2021 Early Bird Discount Extended Last Date - Wednesday, June 30, 2021 - ENTER NOW

Speaking about ‘Maharani’, a web series streaming on SonyLIV, Shah said, “Maharani is very close to my heart, as for a very long time I have been trying to do something massy. Belonging to a small town, I have grown up watching films that were larger than life and since then I always wanted to do something that had swag. Secondly, my family and friends couldn’t understand ‘Ship of Thesus’! So, finally after a decade I got a chance to do web series, and I am happy to do this.”

To produce, to act and receive love and respect from the audience is a very big achievement for an industry outsider. Sharing his experience, Shah candidly said, “For an outsider, it is always difficult, not only in the entertainment industry, but in any other industry as well. I started from scratch and struggled a lot. Someone who has connections in the industry has more privilege over us, people with no connections have to struggle 7x more than that the person with connections. Actors with connection in the industry already know about everything, they have everything figured out for them, whereas people like me have to start from zero and have to work a lot.”

Now, OTT has changed the scenario of the film industry and theatre, especially during the pandemic times. People have started watching more content driven series and movies on OTT, and the consumption of OTT has grown even more during the pandemic. Talking about the changes and impact that OTT has brought in, Shah noted, “OTT has created a new audience that stopped watching cinema due to several reasons, now they have suddenly shifted to OTT, as OTT is something that you can watch anytime and anywhere as per your convenience.”

“Shows that are based on reality and have a real experience have started gaining more popularity. Viewers are shifting to more of a regional and rural-based scenario. Movies and web series like ‘Scam 1993’, ‘Pataal Lok’, ‘Maharani’ and others have received more traction. Due the pandemic, the taste of the audience has changed and their standards have increased in terms of what they want to watch. It is not only limited to acting, but they also look for cinematography, direction, location and all the other factors,” he concluded.