Pankaj Tripathi, a celebrated figure whose career has been significantly shaped by the rise of streaming platforms, recently voiced a thoughtful concern regarding the increasing constraints on creative freedom within the Over-The-Top (OTT) ecosystem. His statement highlights a perceived shift from the initial promise of unrestricted artistic liberty to a more heavily monitored and regulated environment.
When OTT platforms first gained prominence in India, they were heralded as a creative haven. They offered storytellers and actors the opportunity to explore nuanced, unconventional, and long-form narratives that were often difficult to produce under the traditional constraints of mainstream cinema or television. Tripathi himself rose to national prominence through roles in web series like Sacred Games and Mirzapur, which benefited from this newfound creative expanse.
However, the actor and now producer suggests that this golden period of unbridled freedom is dwindling. He argues that the increasing commercialisation and success of these platforms have ironically led to greater corporate and legal oversight, which now stifles the very creativity they once championed.
A key part of Tripathi’s critique focuses on the shift toward pre-emptive censorship and excessive control over the production process. He revealed that major streaming services now impose multiple layers of interference, including dictating who the creative heads will be, mandating script approvals, and questioning production value. This regulatory burden has, in his experience, replaced the organic creative process with a procedural one driven by fear of controversy.
The versatile actor, known for his ability to improvise brilliant, spontaneous lines on set, confessed that he has been forced to stop this practice. He recounted an incident where he was instantly stopped after improvising a line, as the creative head insisted that the dialogue must first be approved by the legal team.
Tripathi questioned this process, stating, “Now the legal team will decide what we say?” This incident underscores his central argument: the fear of litigation or public backlash has led to choices being locked before the audience even gets a chance to judge the work. He believes that the audience, the true judge of a narrative, is being bypassed by corporate committees.
To bypass these mounting restrictions, Tripathi took a significant step with his debut production, Perfect Family. He chose to release the web series on YouTube instead of partnering with a major OTT platform. He explained that this decision was a conscious effort to secure “complete freedom” and tell the story as intended, without the pressure of opinions, regulatory committees, or long approval routes that he now associates with larger streaming services.
For Tripathi, platforms like YouTube, despite their different monetization models, currently offer a clearer path for filmmakers who want to maintain the integrity and vision of their original work.
Pankaj Tripathi’s statement is a crucial reflection on the evolving dynamics of content creation in the digital age. It serves as a necessary warning that the very platforms that democratized storytelling are now, paradoxically, becoming new gatekeepers. His call is essentially for the industry to return to its roots—to foster a space where artistic choices flow organically, driven by the needs of the narrative and the vision of the creator, rather than being policed by the legal and commercial concerns of the platform.
Here is a snippet from an interview where he spoke about his thoughts on OTT platforms and the creative process: Pankaj Tripathi On Being Stopped From Improvising Lines On Set. This video shows Pankaj Tripathi discussing some of the creative challenges he has faced in the current streaming content environment. To know such latest updates, stay tuned to tellyboosters.com Thank you!
