Mumbai: OTT shows seem to pushing the envelope in terms of storylines and plots, and there are a lot of taboo and sensitive topics being dealt with on the platform. With shows such as The Married Women, which is based on a homosexual relationship, and Fabulous Lives Of Bollywood Wives, where Botox and face upliftment procedures are openly discussed, the Indian audience is now exposed to content on topics that have not been dealt with freely on the Indian screens before.
Sahir Raza, who has directed The Married Woman, says that he is glad that OTT is open to topics as the one his show addresses. “I am glad that OTT doesn’t have boundaries. People need to understand that there will always be things you don’t like, but putting boundaries only creates restrictions for people who are telling the story. I feel that as we evolve, we need to accept different points of view instead of putting together rules of what you can and can’t do,” he says.Writer Suparn Verma, who has written the show Main Hero Boll Raha Hu, says: “While making a film, you need to see if a certain type of audience will accept it. A subject might not be appreciated in, say, Bihar.
This is not true for shows on OTT. This is for individual audiences where makers are not tied down by logistical economics. Therefore, you have a lot more freedom to write and explore themes. Also, everyone wants to be unique, hence newer themes are explored.”Actress Kirti Kulhari, whose show Four More Shots Please! was heavily criticised by certain sections for being too feminist and bold, says that such shows help people become aware of how things are actually changing in the world.