Sharib Hashmi: Being at crossroads in my career, OTT is a game-changer
Sharib Hashmi reflects on his 17-year film career, highlighting the positive impact of OTT platforms
Sharib Hashmi, who has been in the film industry for 17 years, believes OTT platforms have been a “game changer” for his career. “Since its inception, OTT has just done good for me as a performer. My biggest career change happened when my web shows gave me that big recognition that was not easy to happen with only films, as I was intentionally keeping away from TV,” the actor tells us.
However, he adds that there are some challenges of working in this realm too. “Those too have become a bit tough of late, but at least we have an avenue. Else audiences wouldn’t even know that there are films with such-and-such names,” he says.
The is awaiting the digital as well as theatrical release of his film Full Plate, which premiered at this year’s Busan Film Festival. “For me, it’s like history repeating itself when I attended the premiere of my film in Busan,” he recalls, referring to his film Filmistaan that was screened there a decade ago.
While mainstream Indian films have global reach, Sharib notes that small and independent films are still struggling to find their footing in domestic theatres: “It’s great to see the change that has happened; so many of our films reach a global audience. But having said that, what surprises me is that the same films don’t get screens and audiences in our theatres.”
He recounts the limited theatrical run of Sangee, which had a “negligible number of shows” in distant theatres. “Aap kya bologe apne audience ko, ki shehar se durr koi theatre jao to watch my film?” he says, adding, “My only ray of hope for that film is its OTT release," says the actor, who recently wrapped work on series The Family Man 3 and also shot a short film in Lucknow this September.
