Shows on OTT platforms require sharper storytelling: Surbhi Jyoti

PTI, Mar 14, 2021, 4:09 PM IST

Mumbai:  Popular TV star Surbhi Jyoti says while the audience may forgive a “boring scene” in their beloved daily soap, they tend to be ruthless with a show on a streaming platform as there are several options available on the web.

Four years after her digital debut with the Barun Sobti-starrer “Tanhaiyan”, Jyoti returns to the streaming space with her latest series, “Qubool Hai 2.0”.

A spin-off of her acclaimed Zee TV drama, the series features Jyoti reprising her role of Zoya Farooqui.

In an interview with PTI, the 32-year-old actor said her show is a 10-episodic taut series that doesn’t take its viewers for granted.

“We are coming up with 10 episodes so there’s no room for a boring scene or a scene which isn’t required. Daily soaps come every day for years, so even if there are certain scenes that drag, people will continue to watch because it’s a routine.

“But web shows aren’t like that. Either people like it or they don’t, because there are a lot of options on OTT platforms. You have to be sharp in your storytelling and execution so that you leave no room for people to not watch it.”

Directed by Glen Barretto and Ankush Mohla, “Qubool Hai 2.0” is backed by Mrinal Jha of Mrinal Abhigyan Jha Productions.

“Qubool Hai” was a long-running show on Zee TV, which put Jyoti in the instant spotlight.

The show, which ended its almost four year-long runs in 2016, has returned with a revamped version, also featuring Karan Singh Grover.

After working in the TV industry for over a decade, Jyoti said the opportunity to reprise the role of Zoya for the digital medium was too tempting to be ignored.

With “Qubool Hai 2.0”, which recently premiered on ZEE5, the actor realized there was an opportunity to explore her character and step into a new world within the show’s universe.

“There was a chance to recreate that magic with newness. It’s a beautiful thing to spin a new story with your title characters. But it was a big challenge for me to go back to the character as people had already loved it on TV.”

With Zoya, the show broke several stereotypes of how a leading lady was presented on the small screen.

“She had opinions, her own thought process. She wasn’t someone who was being bullied, oppressed, or would sulk all the time. Even on this show, she works with logic and isn’t blinded by anything. This woman has her own voice and is absolutely independent,” she added.

Post “Qubool Hai”, Jyoti went on to headline the Star Plus thriller “Koi Laut Ke Aaya Hai” and featured in a guest appearance on several popular shows including the channel’s “Ishqbaaaz” and “Jamai Raja”.

With the digital streaming platforms pushing boundaries and attracting the biggest of names both in films and on television, Jyoti said it is the right time for actors to experiment.

The actor, however, added it is becoming important for artists to make intelligent choices and not get blinded by too many opportunities on digital platforms.

“As there are so many shows coming on TV and OTT, it’s a bright opportunity for all the actors just to choose the kind of work they want to do. OTT is a silver lining. It has emerged as the gap between TV and movies. It has faced from films and TV as it’s the correct platform for all actors,” Jyoti said,

“But the difficulty here is not that you won’t get what you want to do. It is about choosing wisely from wide-ranging opportunities that you get,” she added