A Resilient Act

In a candid chat, actor Barun Sobti, 39, reveals the secret sauce behind the success of streaming platforms and how it's working in favour of actors across media

- Lubna Salim

Having grown up smitten by the character of the angry, young, elitist Arnav Singh Raizada (ASR), essayed by Delhi boy Barun Sobti in the popular TV show Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon? (IPKKND) in 2011, it is a bit strange to see him play a hard-hearted cop in the OTT crime thriller Kohrra. Sobti's role of assistant sub-inspector Amarpal Jasjit Garundi of Punjab's Jagrana Police Station is hard to gulp at first, but two Kohhra episodes later, the compelling content not only creates empathy for the seemingly unlikeable character but also helps grasp how online streaming platforms give actors the opportunity to showcase their talent and range.

When broached with the topic of how OTT has improved things for television actors over a sunny morning video call, Sobti sitting snug in his living room says, "If you come directly off television to OTT, usually people are not willing to place their bets on you. There's no transitioning of sorts because the process of acting doesn't change, execution alters a little bit - the research and effort that goes in, are the only things that change as does the world's perspective towards you."