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Happy that 'Paatal Lok' is being called the 'best show' that India has ever produced: Producer Anushka Sharma on her web series success

It's not every day the content makes u sit up and take notice. With COVID-19 lockdown, the entertainment industry or say, films and theatres have their shop shut, the OTT platforms are charging like a raging bull. The content on the web domain is being at pat with the big-budget films, and the stories are bolder, crisper and with zero inhibitions. One such series which has got everyone talking in last fortnight is Amazon Prime Video's Paatal Lok. Co-produced by actress Anushka Sharma, the Jaideep Ahlawat-Neeraj Kabi-Abhishek Banerjee headlined show is making all the right noises. And Anushka is over the moon with the raving reviews her debut web production has received. She doesn't just want to credit any particular thing and says it's everyone's victory together.

"When we were making the show we weren't thinking of it to be the best show, we were just trying to tell a story and we just wanted to stay true to the story. Today when the show is getting appreciated on these lines it makes us feel very happy that it is being called the best show that India has ever produced." Anushka shared in an interaction with an agency. 

As soon as the show aired, Anushka has been receiving a barrage of messages from friends and colleagues, right from Ranveer Singh to Alia Bhatt. "Today, when we get calls from so many of our colleagues and filmmakers that they felt inspired after watching 'Paatal Lok', it makes us feel that we have done something that was truly inspiring. It is because of the team that worked on the project. It is because of the writing, the actors, the technicians who worked on it - everybody coming together and being on the same page. That is the reason the show is being called what it is being called. As a producer that's what makes me feel the happiest that every aspect of the show that you have backed has got its appreciation," shared the actress-producer. 

Recommended Read:  Creator Sudip Sharma reportedly developing an original plot for the second installment of 'Paatal Lok'; to focus on Jaideep Ahlawat's cop character

Anushka Sharma on a video call with team Paatal Lok on it's success

On being asked if she stepped into the exciting world of digital content is because the webspace allows filmmakers to express freely, Anushka answered, "I see the OTT platform as an opportunity for filmmakers and groups of individuals to be able to touch upon stories and ideas you can explore in a longer format with the show, which you can't do with the film. Sometimes you want to flesh out details of a story and introduce every aspect of it in a way that is relevant and interesting to an audience, something which is different. It also allows you to express yourself freely, because of the nature of the platform and its audience. The other thing is that as producers we don't restrict ourselves, we just want to be able to send out stories and ideas. I can say there are two different platforms now in India, you have the OTT platforms and you have your theatrical releases, and I think you can choose and decide where you want to put out what. That kind of liberty is something that we have taken advantage of."

However, with interesting content coming on the webspace, Anushka doesn't see the digital space taking over the regular cinemagoing experience. "I believe that the OTT platforms are a great introduction to us because it enables us to say a story in an in a fleshed-out manner. One can really get in the many aspects of the story and touch upon various topics within the framework of one story. I think that kind of liberty you do not have with feature film, but at the same time there are films that are being produced specifically made for the OTT platform. I feel one needs to keep in mind the content, idea, and story which is being presented on the OTT platform," said Anushka. 

At the same time, she says that the movie-going experience will not fade away and it will co-exist with OTT platforms. "The only difference that is going to happen and it's a natural progression with changing times - is maybe we will now have to start thinking as producers, as filmmakers, what content is to be made for which platform. So stories will probably be more befitting for the OTT platform, and the experience of the theatres can never ever be replaced by the OTT platforms. So I believe that they will manage to exist together," quoted the actress who has been on a break since her last release Zero in 2018. 

(Inputs from IANS)

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