The digital platform has extended my career by a few more years: Anil Kapoor

Over the last one year, the digital space has grown by leaps and bounds. Until some time ago, the common perception was that it was meant only for struggling actors. However, with many A-list names experimenting with different ideas on this platform, it has become a burgeoning ground for diverse content and finite series. While Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui will be seen in a web series based on author Vikram Chandra’s 2006 novel Sacred Games, Irrfan Khan will play an aspiring politician in The Ministry, a satire set in India’s corridors of power.

Anil Kapoor was one of the first few to introduce finite series on the Indian small screen when he decided to produce and act in 24. On the sidelines of an event for Amazon Prime Video, the actor, who has been roped in to play a pivotal role in The Book of Strange New Things (a web series based on Michel Faber’s novel by the same name), talks about how the digital space is a great platform for such series. He also shares his views about the ongoing debate on how this new-age revolution might end up killing the theatre experience.

FINITE WEB SERIES ARE THE FUTURE

Anil is clear about one thing. “Everybody’s going to do web series,” he exclaims. “That’s the future. Trust me when I say this! See, what happens is our job, as an actor, is to tell stories and reach out to the world. Now, we are fortunate that sitting in India, we can reach out to more people.” 

While many believe that top actors won’t be willing to jump on the digital bandwagon immediately, Anil feels there’s no reason to think that way. “Saif and Nawazuddin are doing Sacred Games while Rajkummar Rao was recently seen in Bose: Dead Or Alive. Likewise, for the small screen, Amitabh Bachchan played the protagonist in Yudh and I did 24. If you pitch such finite series to any big star, explain the story, their role and promise them as much or sometimes, even more money, why won’t they do it?” he asks.

‘I CAN TELL MORE STORIES’

What makes Anil glad is the scope and opportunities that the space entails. He asserts, “I have always wanted to do different things. With web series becoming such a huge rage today, it has made me happier. Somehow, this has extended my career by a few more years (smiles). I have been working for almost 40 years. Now, thanks to the digital space, I can be content because I can tell more stories, play more characters and do the kind of work that I want to.”

CHANGE IN PERSPECTIVE

Today with the audience becoming more critical of the content that is provided to them, actors and filmmakers are making a lot of effort to get the whole look and the characters’ nuances right. However, the actor reminisces how he used to be mocked by many around him when he would do the same. “When I started my career with films by Mani Ratnam and other such creative directors, I would get into my character completely — whether it was putting on weight or growing a moustache. People felt main zyada international hoon (Laughs). At that time, it was taken in a negative way. They would say, ‘(Yeh) bahut zyada pakata hai, questions puchhta hai aur mehnaat karta hai." What about now, we ask! He smiles, “Now, that has become the biggest plus, especially for marketing. People are excited and love it. So, what can be better for an actor like me than this.”

WEB SERIES VERSUS FILMS!

Though the digital platform has found many takers among viewers who enjoy watching diverse content, there's also an ongoing debate about how it might eventually affect the business of cinema, resulting in huge losses for producers and filmmakers. Anil, however, believes, “We should make films which are entertaining because the audience in our country wants just that. But sometimes, movies that have a fresh take are made and people still go to see them. Obviously, you have to work harder to make the story-telling so engaging that people are forced to go to theatres. Then what happens is you have theatrical and digital platforms, and the revenue is also balanced from all points of view."