‘OTT platforms give freedom of choice’: Barkha Singh

Barkha Singh is all praise for OTT platforms because she feels these offer “freedom of choice” to the viewer and also allows actors to “pick and choose”. “OTT has a huge reach. It is not limited to one country or place. I think they are great platforms because of the freedom of choice they give to the viewer. There are greater opportunities for so many projects and an actor can also decide to pick and choose,” the actress said.

Barkha belongs to a generation of actors that seems to be finding renewed lease thanks to OTT. She has been a popular face on television and commercials for a while and is super excited about her first film “House Arrest”, which is a Netflix original.

“It is a movie about a guy who does not like stepping out because of a whole lot of reasons. So, all of us are getting into his house. It’s based on the premise that you can’t stop things from happening to you. Everything happens in one day inside one house. The film was shot in a house in Delhi. It’s a bold move because the audience can easily get bored. So, that was the challenge we faced to make it entertaining enough and to sustain the audience's interest. There are fun characters and all characters have their own elements,” said Barkha.

Her character is called Pinky. “She is a firecracker. Her dad is a don in Dubai. She is like a tigress. She loves bullying people. She is a tiny girl but roams around with a huge bodyguard. She knows how to get work done and always has her way, but she has a heart of gold. I like to believe, she is a loveable character. I had a blast being Pinky,” shared the actress.

“I wanted to work with Netflix, in a Netflix original. So that was definitely a big plus point for me. It’s (co-director and writer) Samit (Basu)’s first film but I have seen (co-director) Shashank (Ghosh)’s work in the past and I am super excited to work with him. Both of them together was super fun,” she added.

What matters more to her: A banner like Netflix or the script? The actress is diplomatic. “I think it’s a combination. It can’t be completely one factor that convinces me or dissuades me to take up a role. In this case, the combination of a whole lot of factors, like the director, the team, Netflix and the character, came together. At the end of the day, it’s got to be a good story,” she said.

Directed by Samit Basu and Shashank Ghosh, “House Arrest” also stars Ali Fazal, Shriya Pilgaonkar and Jim Sarbh. The film streams on Netflix from November 15. (IANS)

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