Saif Ali Khan, Bobby Deol, Sushmita Sen; Bollywood actors who gave OTT boost to their careers

After Lipstick Under My Burkha, Aahana Kumra started exploring the digital space. She has featured in Inside Edge, Rangbaaz, Marzi and Betaal. She is now busy in a way she never has been when she tried exploring films and television.

Few would still recall Amit Sadh as the college boy in the teen teledrama Kyun Hota Hai Pyarrr, or his emotional journey in the first season of the reality TV show Bigg Boss. His foray into Bollywood, with films like Kai Po Che! and Sultan, was applauded for his acting, but these films did not help him much when it comes to garnering the limelight.

That has happened in the OTT space. Earlier this year, Amit set a mini record in the OTT world, with as many as three releases on the same day. He had pivotal roles in the digitally-released films Shakuntala Devi and Yaara, and he also starred in the web series Avrodh: The Siege Within. He had made a mark with his role of a cop over two seasons of Breathe.

After initially successful years, Bobby Deol hit a rough stretch with his silver jubilee run. He started his second inning with much-hyped multistarrers like Race 3 and Housefull 4, but these films did not help his career. Now, he has found a resounding return thanks to his starring role in the OTT series, Aashram. He was also the star of the Shah Rukh Khan-produced digital film, Class Of '83.

In his Bollywood journey, Jaideep Ahlawat featured in films like Rockstar, Gangs Of Wasseypur, Raees and Raazi, but failed to get the acclaim and fame that came his way when he essayed the police office in Paatal Lok.

"People are admiring a police officer's character who is fighting through a corrupt system trying to prove his self-worth and seek justice in a post-truth world. I even received messages from people saying that they could very well relate to the character and the struggle. It feels great to see your work being appreciated by people. It gives me a renewed sense of vigour to do more such brilliant work," Jaideep said after the success of the show.

Namit Das was the cute college friend of Ranbir Kapoor in the 2009 film Wake Up Sid, but things didn't take off after that. Rather, it was the digital platform that helped him prove his versatility. Namit, who started his journey on TV with the show Pancham, and got noticed with the TV series Sumit Sambhal Lega, has utilised the webspace to step out of 'the good guy' zone, notably with the show Mafia. He played Jawahar, a character with grey shades with aplomb in the web series Aarya, which starred Sushmita Sen. He also featured in the crime thriller Abhay.

Pankaj Tripathi was a phenomenon waiting to happen, given his abundant talent. Only, Bollywood didn't quite have the roles after he made his mark with that small but impressive outing in Gangs Of Wasseypur. Rather, his real turnaround happened on OTT, as the dreaded gangster Kaleen Bhaiyya in the web series Mirzapur and Sacred Games, where he played the power-hungry Guruji. The acclaim to his OTT sojourns has opened up doors across platforms. At the moment, he is seen as a gangster in Ludo, which is streaming on Netflix.

Radhika Apte has earned widespread praise for her performance in web shows like Lust Stories, Sacred Games and Ghoul. At present, she is hailed as the "queen of OTT platforms".

"Some actors have got outstanding parts. All the OTT platforms seem to be working on big productions only. I hope it's not just a transfer (of content) from Bollywood to them. Let's wait for a year or two. Consistency can only be checked over time. Right now, the platform is superb. There's no doubt about that. The budgets are great, production and systems amazing, and work ethics in the right place," Radhika had said while speaking to IANS.

"At the moment, the digital platforms seem to be giving women more court to play with many more and stronger protagonists," she added. She was last seen in the film Raat Akeli Hai, which streams on Netflix.

After hitting a rough patch with a string of failures in Bollywood including Rangoon, Chef, Kaalakaandi and Baazaar, Saif Ali Khan's career got a breath of fresh air with Sacred Games, which brought him back into the action. He is now looking forward to another digital outing with the web show, Tandav.

Shriya Pilgaonkar began her movie career with the 2013 Marathi film Ekulti Ek. Despite her presence in the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Fan, she didn't really get noticed. It was her role of Sweety in the web series Mirzapur that put the spotlight on her. She was also essaying interesting roles in the digital series Crackdown and The Gone Game.

Sushmita Sen, who was last seen in the 2015 Bengali film Nirbaak, made her acting comeback with a fierce avatar through the web series Aarya. The show is about how her protagonist Aarya is pulled into the narcotics business when her family is threatened. The series streams on Disney+ Hotstar VIP. Sushmita now looks forward to the second season of the show.

"The response to Aarya has been overwhelmingly great. An entire team of fantastic people put this show together and we knew we were creating something magical with Aarya. However, even we could not fathom the kind of response it has received. It has been a really heartwarming journey," Sushmita told IANS.