On the OTT front, filmmaker Rohan Sippy has been fairly busy. He has a comedy show in the works after developing the Raveena Tandon-starrer Aranyak and directing the Huma Qureshi-starrer Mithya.
Sippy confesses that he is now concentrating on the digital medium. “OTT is something I’ve been working on for the past four or five years, and I don’t see it changing anytime soon.” I’m always on the lookout for new chances. Due to Covid, the scenario remained unknown until recently for films to be distributed theatrically, with some even being released directly on the web,” he explains.
“Individually, there’s absolutely greater possibility that OTT is where I’ll be spending more time working,” the 51-year-old says.
He points out that, while the web’s second term is diversity, many genres are overlooked despite their popularity.
“There will be a lot more mainstream programming coming in now.” On OTT, comedy is sorely underrepresented. Sitcoms like Seinfeld and The Big Bang Theory will be half of the trending programs if you turn these platforms on; it is such a major portion of consumption. I’m hoping we’ll make it. “It’s likely to be the trend, and I’m hoping it is,” Sippy says.
In fact, the filmmaker believes that humour is the only genre with a high level of repeat value.
“While people may not watch a mystery or thriller several times, I know folks who have seen Indian or foreign comedy series ten times, or nearly 100 episodes.” He claims, “Comedy has that type of shelf life.”
When asked about his upcoming ventures, he reveals that he has worked on a comedy program with Charudutt Acharya, the creator of Aranyak. “It’ll be a lighter, more comedic family drama.” I have a few other directing gigs as well, but I can’t say anything about them yet. “There will be a variety of genres,” Sippy says.
