Avinash Tiwary: As of now, digital is the only way to go

MUMBAI: Actor Avinash Tiwary has been balancing theatrical and OTT releases from before lockdown gave a boost to the digital way of watching content.

While his films like "Tu Hai Mera Sunday" and "Laila Majnu" released on the big screen, "Bulbbul" and "Ghost Stories" were released on OTT. Talking about the current times, when Covid cases are on the rise again and impacting box office business, he feels the inclination towards digital projects is only natural.

The actor's upcoming project "Dongri To Dubai" is based on author Hussain Zaidi book of the same name, and will release on an OTT platform as a series.

"As of now, when there is uncertainty in the industry, digital is the only way to go for. I am doing more stuff on OTT but having said that, I am also looking at projects that take me back to the theatres. I am doing 'Dongri To Dubai', which as of now to my knowledge is Amazon's biggest project," Avinash tells IANS.

Talking about how the release platform affects his craft as an actor, Avinash says: "It doesn't change anything for me. Eventually I am doing a story that is said by the director. My job is essentially to create that character, which my director wants to tell the story with. I don't think there is anything different. Every story has a different process, every actor also finds a different process. While that varies, it doesn't matter if it is a OTT platform or anything else."

The actor, who was recently seen playing the role of Shekhar Kapoor in the film "The Girl On The Train", made a mark with his 2018 film "Laila Majnu", directed by Imtiaz Ali's brother Sajid Khan. The film, however, didn't get the cash registers ringing.

Does he feel the film deserved more reach? "That I would feel for every work I have done," says Avinash, who goes on to add: "The film disappeared by the third day. It was there for a week but I think by the third day, it was taken off from big theatres. From then on if we are still talking about it, then it means the film made an impact. Thankfully I get more messages for the film now than I got back then. Imtiaz sir had told me once that a film is for life, so if it's of any worth it will keep finding its audience," shares the actor.