OTT Impact Is Beneficial To The Industry, Says Ankit Siwach

Television heartthrob and actor Ankit Siwach, who is currently being seen in Sumit Mishra's new short film called 'Khidki', says that the visual medium has gone beyond the big screen, and this has given the audience various choices and helped create better quality content.

'Khidki' has already been screened in 22 national and international film festivals and is now airing on ShortsTV through the Airtel Xstream app.

Siwach speaks to IANSlife:

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The visual medium has gone beyond the binary of the big screen and small screen, with the web opening up a whole range of creative opportunities. What are your thoughts on it as an actor?

Siwach: Storytelling has been very prominent since the existence of human beings. Be it telling stories through a street play, Theatre, Television, Big Screen, or Mobiles, the formats may have changed, but they will continue to exist. As observed, people are more comfortable watching content on mobile since they can consume it on the go or in their own space. So yes, the visual medium has gone beyond the big screen that gave audiences various choices and helped in increasing the quality of content. Web series and short films were categorized as low-budget films, but I believe they should be called smart films. OTT platforms have given employment to a lot of technicians and artists. It is a change made for the industry's welfare.

Do you think, as an actor today, one must be more versatile and methodical? Is it less about stardom now and more about the character and the story itself?

Siwach: I have never believed that an actor should learn to act. An actor must be more versatile and methodical. It has been about characters since the beginning. Every artist has their process before preparing for the character. It has always been necessary to improvise according to the situation. Knowing as many human beings, living as many lives, molding into different characters, and accepting all human beings as one is one step every actor should take to get into a character.

Please tell us about your beginnings in acting.

Search: I started with 'Rishton ka Chakravyu' in 2017. Before starting my acting career, I was an assistant director and part of the casting teams. After working in a corporate, I quit my job to be part of this industry. I have been part of the production teams in many short films. I worked behind the camera and strived to become an actor. After my first break as an actor, I continued to be in front of the camera.

How did 'Khidki' happen? Tell us about your role.

Siwach: 'Khidki' is a directorial venture by Sumit Mishra. What made me choose this film was Sumit Mishra's versatility. He is a soulful artist, and I knew he would bring out all his talent on the floor for this film. We both had a connection since the beginning. Therefore, I decided to be part of this film. It is a tale of an ordinary girl Amba played by Vinita Joshi, who dares to look out of her window only to hallucinate into her dreamland. She imagines being in a life full of happiness, beauty, and love. In her dream, the girl encounters a handsome young man who is a flutist with magical musical powers. I play the flutist in the film. The film has already been screened in 22 national and international film festivals and is currently streaming on ShortsTV through the Airtel Xstream app.

What are your thoughts on the arts and entertainment industry being affected by the pandemic?

ALSO READ: Would Bollywood Switch To OTT Now That Mumbai Theatres Are Closed?

Siwach: The pandemic has hit everybody very hard, and our industry is no different. People have lost their jobs, shooting shows and films was halted, and other projects were discontinued. These situations led to commercial and financial losses. People who are working are the luckiest since they can earn and distract themselves from the negativity. Despite that, I think we are lucky to be in our homes with our loved ones. We all should be grateful for the things we have.

What are your upcoming projects?

Siwach: Currently, I am shooting for 'Ishq Me Marjwa- 2'. I am also part of a feature film called 'Banaras Vanilla'. And there was this film 'Khidki', which everyone can watch on ShortsTV through the Airtel Xstream app. (IANS/KB)

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