Neena Gupta and Sakshi Tanwar say OTT space is offering ‘Solid roles’ to older women

Neena Gupta and Sakshi Tanwar believe that the emergence of streaming has opened up the possibilities for female actors of all ages to play diverse characters and do more than what is expected of them in general. The duo will soon be seen in Rensil D’Silva’s upcoming thriller Dial 100, also starring Manoj Bajpayee. The film, which will premiere on ZEE5, features Neena Gupta in a never-seen-before avatar as she plays a troubled woman, Seema Palwa, who is on a mission to seek justice for her son’s unfortunate death. Sakshi will be seen in a crucial role as an emergency call operator, Nikhil Sood’s (Manoj Bajpayee) wife who too gets pulled into the mess.

Neena felt fortunate to have played a role like Seema Palwa in Dial 100 which was completely different from what people had seen of her in the past. “This character is something I have never played before, and I am grateful to Rensil for giving me this opportunity. Even though the movie unfolds in only one night, it is full of plot twists, drama, revenge, and murder, making for an engrossing thriller,” she said.

Reflecting on how the landscape has changed for older actresses in the industry after the arrival of streaming platforms, Neena said, “There’s been a huge change. People are taking us more seriously. There was a need for a new, different, kind of storytelling and it is changing the way scripts are now being written. Some solid roles are being offered to women of my age- roles that seemed impossible and unthinkable earlier. But there’s still a long way to go.”

It’s been a very exciting time, added Sakshi who agreed with Neena’s viewpoint on how streaming is offering older women a greater chance to showcase their versatility.

“I’m extremely lucky that all the mediums have been very kind to me whether it was television, film or OTT. I have been on OTT for 3-4 years now and I am coming back with Dail 100 after a gap because of the lockdown but streaming is a very interesting space because everybody has something to offer and take from this medium. Like Neena ji said, it’s allowing actors to take risks and experiment with their characters. Also, people usually don’t accept actors in a certain image or role but OTT has truly given them a chance to break out of that image. I’m enjoying this medium a lot,” added Sakshi, who became a household name with her role of a dutiful daughter-in-law in the TV show ‘Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii’.

Dial 100, produced by Sony Pictures Films India, Siddharth Malhotra and Sapna Malhotra’s Alchemy Films, will premiere on August 6 on ZEE5. News18