Since its relaunch in 2020, SonyLIV has cemented its position as a key player in bringing alive real, authentic Indian stories and taking the beyond borders. To celebrate 2-year milestone since its relaunch, SonyLIV has brought together “Creators’ Round Table”- a panel discussion on ‘Taking Indian Stories to the World’
The roundtable saw pathbreakers from the entertainment fraternity namely, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, Hansal Mehta, Nikkhil Advani, Rana Daggubati, Sameer Nair along with Danish Khan, Head - SonyLIV, Sony Entertainment Television & StudioNext. Moderated by renowned film critic and journalist, Rajeev Masand, the roundtable saw panellists share their insights and views on what motivates them to tell the kind of stories that they do, the importance of creating stories with the accurate balance of both Indian and global flavors, and what the future looks like for the Indian OTT space.
At a time when long-form OTT content is garnering immense headway, creators are often asked what it takes to bring such wonderful stories on screen. Masand asked the panellists if Originals or long-form content require a different muscle when compared to films
Hansal Mehta said that the time spent with OTT content is much more than traditional film content. “I feel this is the joy of the long format. You develop the story for a longer period of time and live with it longer. A creator is not limited by the confines of a formula. You are liberated to try new things and work with an ideal cast. Although it is time-consuming, it has freed me. Filmmaking is a different joy altogether. With OTT, there is so much that we can do now. There has never been a better time for a filmmaker or director to exist and this is a creatively satisfying period,” he said.
Ashwini Iyer Tiwari says that the research and creative process is much intense for long-form content. “It depends on the number of episodes you have. It needs an intensity, and you need to choose, schedule and plan your shoot wisely. You want two camera setups, and a different perspective. It is not easy. You can explore the intensity but adjust it according to your comfort. I can choose who I want to work with and narrate what I feel is correct for the story. It is beautiful to see actors getting into characters, as a result,” she said
For Nikkhil Advani, a film is a sprint and long-form OTT is a marathon. “It is just the way in which you approach and train people. The level of concentration and stamina needed to keep over eight episodes running is not simple, and we do work with so many channels,” he said
Danish Khan shared some data to speak about the success of OTT. “When ‘Scam 1992 came’, we were a small app, and had the ability to pull audience. So, people still see our first episode and subscribe. However, when Rocket Boys released, we found that 50% of the audience came from the south. Such is the power of OTT and its reach,” he said.
SonyLIV has delivered important stories like Rocket Boys, Maharani, Scam 1992, etc. that have significantly altered how Indian OTT is consumed today. Keeping the spotlight on consumption trends, the experts organically decoded how content is king, and how regional languages with compelling narratives have taken centre-stage.
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