Basking in the success of his current TV show, PunyashlokAhilyabai, Rajesh Shringarpure, is glad that OTT content has given everyone so many choices, but believes that TV is a big ocean and a powerful medium. TV, OTT and films are all entertainment and every kind of content can survive there. I feel, one might have loads of glamour and the other might lack a bit, but all mediums give actors the opportunity and satisfaction of performing in front of the camera. Most importantly, actors get recognition, no matter which platform they act in,” says Shringarpure.

The 43-year-old actor, who will be seen in a web show soon, weighs in on OTT giving tough competition to films and television, and says, “OTT has seasons and most films are two or three hours long but a serial is a continuous process. Keeping the audiences hooked to a show for 365 days with the story and performances is a tough job. On TV, to survive in the audience’s heart, on screen in the living room where one might not get the complete attention of the viewer at times, is a big achievement. To survive everyday on TV is a task.”

Known for his performances in the film Sarkar Raj (2008) and TV series Chandragupta Maurya (2011) among others, Shringarpure admits that age has refined him. “A person grows with age and after experiencing varied emotions, it gets easier to emote. In fact, in Hollywood, so many actors got success after 40. And today, there many experiments happening on TV, which has gone through a lot of change in the recent years,” he explains.

He has been shooting for his TV show in a bio-bubble outside Mumbai and shares that while professionally the lockdown helped him, “personally all of us suffered in varying degrees”. “The pandemic and lockdowns are disturbing but you can’t let that hold you back. Every individual has to find a space where they can keep themselves mentally strong. Luckily for me, after the first unlock, I got my current historical TV show, so it kept me busy.”