MUMBAI: Actress Mona Singh is perhaps best remembered as the bespectacled assistant in “Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahi”, but she has come a long way since those days, and so has the format of storytelling. The actress admits that in times of short web series and OTT boom, she too has evolved as a viewer like others.
“We are losing out on patience, we want something that excites us, entertains us and is short-lived. TV serials that go on for years and years don’t make any sense to me anymore because as an audience I don’t watch them anymore. I am more hooked to OTT shows from start to finish,” Mona tells IANS.
She also feels that shorter stories keep creativity alive.
“You start with a new season, you add new faces and work on the script. It’s not about the quantity of 500 to 2,000 episodes, you actually sit down and write something new, have workshops and do it accordingly,” says the actress, who has also been part of television shows such as “Kya Huaa Tera Vaada” and “Radhaa Ki Betiyaan Kuch Aur Kar Dikhayengi”.
However, television is still presenting shows that have been on for years, with some even marking 1,000 episodes. However, the actress feels for television to adapt short format shows, it may take some time. “For these things to take place on television it will take time because it is all about ratings and branding, and the longer a show runs, the more money it will make. But I am hoping times will change for television, too,” she says.
Will the demand of the television audience encourage show producers to take risk in future?
“It is always about starting something, believing in your product and creating it, but I also feel that audience needs some time to build a habit to watch something like that. TV has become very unpredictable. There are many shows that have gone off air within few months,” she says.
Mona will soon be seen in a role of an anchor of a crime show “Mauka-E-Vardaat”. The show is an anthology and will focus on the method behind heinous crimes.
“This is a concept of how it is done and not about who did it. I have hosted a lot of reality shows but never been part of a crime show. I guess I will have to be more straightforward and sensitive,” she summed up describing the show, which will air on &TV.
