Everyday heroes find the spotlight in true to life dramas on OTT

2022 has shown that dramas work consistently with Indian OTT audiences. As per the IMDB list of the most popular series so far, Panchayat 2 and Mai, both based in rural and semi-urban geographies, have stood strong amidst thrillers. This reflects a staple of American television in consumption habits- dramas that one can relate to, are dependable audience pullers.

This is perhaps why there are a spurt of new dramas that focus on the everyday person as the hero of an everyday struggle of life. Saas Bahu Aur Achaar Pvt Ltd, the latest series from TVF to hit OTT (Zee5), is about Suman, a lower middle class woman from Delhi who has to find a livelihood after her divorce. When her husband claims custody of the kids, she decides to fight back and earn money, something she has never done. Amruta Subhash, with her background in theatre and solid character performances on OTT (Sacred Games, Bombay Begums), is in top form as the protagonist Suman who finds unusual support from her mother in law in her journey to sell homemade Achaar.  Subhash credits the show’s creators- Arunabh Kumar and Apoorva Singh Karki, from creating a credible character  from true to life experiences. “Seldom do we get a whole script to read, but they (TVF) gave me all of it. I was very happy to get this (series) because I believe in good content, and I really like the kind of content that TVF has created- Panchayat, Gullak. I was also pleasantly surprised- My entry in this series is on a bicycle riding through gullies of Delhi, buying  mangoes for achaar.  Arunabh, whom I have met briefly before, called me to say that this character is somewhat like his mother, who had started a school in a village. Suman’s struggles are what audiences fall in love for in this series, so it’s not a story of loneliness and suffering only, “ says Subhash.

At 43 Subhash plays her first lead role in a web series. A talented actor who has had to build her career with strong character parts, the evolution of human interest dramas on OTT has proven to be effective in getting her meaty parts. “There’s a definite shift in the life of an actor. At my age, I am now playing a protagonist, like my character Suman, is coming of age. Be it the network head (Zee 5, Nimisha Pandey) or TVF, they stood by me, and that’s great… In the end it has to work in the market. And the show is tracking amongst top 10 so far, so I am very happy.”

Older than Subhash but also a veteran of theatre and unforgettable character parts, Kumud Mishra gets his lead role as small town sex specialist in the upcoming Dr Arora Gupt Rog Visheshagya. From Window Seat Films, and created by filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, this show is helmed by a new director Nidhi Sethia Nair, and has been mounted almost like a film. It has a soundtrack and multiple stories running concurrent in the whispered realm of STDs in remote India. Mishra says, “ “When Imtiaz Sir got me this role and character, he gave me an entire back story of this character. When I began to read this web series, which is obviously a big document like a thick novel, I didn’t stop….The complexity of the characters was fascinating. The drama in this story really appealed to me. But I was a little skeptical about the subject (sex specialist), but that was foolish of me because I know Imtiaz’s aesthetic and his approach to art. I expressed my doubts and he addressed them clearly. All I knew of the subject are those wall ads you see when you travel by train and I have travelled a lot by train, it would make me curious as to what kind of doctors are these! Our generation wouldn’t speak about this openly. I did meet a few sex specialists and pretended that I had a problem of my own. But the way they tackled this- very small problems, very small issues and very non complicated issues- was very normal. That made it easier for me.”

With a relatively new and large creative team behind it, this series has focused on authenticity and a colloquial vibe that almost verges on nostalgia.   For instance, Vivek Kumar, who plays an assistant to Dr Arora, is a real life IAS aspirant who has cleared his prelims. He would brings his books on set, and then deliver a salt of the earth performance, that even struck awe for  veteran like Mishra. “As you keep growing in a medium your understanding grows. You begin to understand the finer points, the details that one was looking for. I am still searching for these nuances. In fact, sometimes when you see a new performance, like a new actor, who spoke his first line ever on the sets of Dr Arora, I realized that I am living a life! He is an IAS aspirant and a rookie. He felt so authentic! I am still searching for the nuances of acting, and I focus always on making my performance simple and accessible, “ Mishra says.

Dramas about the Indian condition- the middle class reality of our country resonate and are now emerging across leading OTT platforms. Hotstar has released Ghar Wapsi, about a small town man losing his big city job and discovering the things that matter most. Masoom on the same platform continues to track with viewers. Netflix has gotten a major success with Jaadugar, the romantic comedy starring Jitendra Kumar of Panchayat 2 fame as it’s lead.

As films supersize with fantastical and melodramatic super men for heroes, the entertaining bits of reality have made a smooth shift onto OTT. And the smaller the actor in charge of bringing such everyday protagonists to life, the more effective these stories seem to be.

Archita Kashyap is an experienced journalist and writer on film, music, and pop culture. She has handled entertainment content for broadcast news and digital platforms over 15 years. 

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