The mainstream feature film space may well be known by now for either offering no opportunities to female actors above a certain age or relegating them to insignificant supporting roles but video streaming services are increasingly exploring plots and themes that put them in the spotlight. Raveena Tandon and Pooja Bhatt in Netflix’s Aranyak and Bombay Begums respectively, Neena Gupta in Amazon Prime Video’s Panchayat, Lara Dutta in Lionsgate Play’s Hiccups and Hookups and Sushmita Sen in Disney Hotstar’s Aarya are among the many women who have benefited from the emergence of the digital medium, free from box office and other commercial constraints.
Platforms that are planning many shows for the coming year say they are increasingly seeing women form a big chunk of the audience base and want to put projects together that not just feature women but are also spearheaded by all-women crews. Like Netflix’s Finding Anamika with Madhuri Dixit, Hush Hush is among upcoming titles that will speak to this target group.
Traditionally, OTT platforms have seen their audience base skew towards men. But services say this is changing with deepening internet penetration and as more wholesome, family narratives bring newer audiences into the fold of the web. A 2019 report by Kantar said 42% consumption on OTT came from women, a 14% jump compared to the previous year.
To be sure, while female actors like Tisca Chopra had begun to write and co-produce short films like Chutney and Chhuri besides featuring in them as early as 2017, the latest slate of web shows is providing a new lease of life to a lot more middle-aged actors, many of whom have enjoyed great stardom at the peak of their movie careers.
