From the suave Arjun Nair in Four More Shorts Please! to the intense Daman in Undekhi, Ankur Rathee has become a household name in the OTT landscape. Currently basking in the success of the family dramedy Single Papa, the actor sat down with Filmfare to discuss his journey, the importance of family-friendly content, and his experiences breaking stereotypes.
The Shift to Family-Friendly Content
While OTT was once synonymous with gritty, “rated R” content, Ankur feels Single Papa has filled a much-needed gap. He admitted, “I have done so much work that my family and friends sometimes cannot watch with their parents or children. This is the first thing I’ve done where people say they are relieved they can watch it with their family. It made me realize how important it is to create family-friendly content.”
Ankur revealed that his own parents binged the entire series until 3 AM. “My father found himself getting very emotional. The show depicts male affection so maturely. Seeing Manoj Pahwa and Kunal Kemmu hug with tears in their eyes made my father tear up too. It relates to real life.”
The Magic of an All-Women Set
Reflecting on his breakout role in Four More Shorts Please!, Ankur highlighted a unique experience that shaped his career. He recalled, “I remember it was perhaps the only time I was on an Indian set where all the heads of departments were women. With female leads, producers, directors, and cinematographers, the environment was a revelation.
He shared, “Men don’t know much about their privilege until we step into such a situation. It was a female-dominant set that made me realize the tremendous talent and work ethic our female counterparts bring. It was a big learning lesson for me.”
Playing a Gay Rights Activist in Inside Edge
Ankur has never shied away from complex roles. After playing a gay character in Made in Heaven, he found himself being typecast, turning down nearly ten similar roles because they weren’t written intelligently according to him. However, the character of Allen in Inside Edge was different.
Ankur explained, “Allen was interesting because he was an activist fighting for gay rights. He had spunk.” He felt a deep responsibility to represent the community authentically without falling into stereotypes. He said, “I spoke at length with Akshay Oberoi about this. It was important that we didn’t treat it as homosexual love. Love is love. We played it like a real relationship, making sure it was grounded and not just some stereotype.”
The Future of OTT
Having seen the industry evolve since 2015, Ankur warns of an impending OTT bubble. With the sheer volume of content and the cost of multiple subscriptions, he believes the current pace is hard to sustain.
He quipped, “The pressure is on producers. There is so much content and only so much time. I have a feeling this bubble might burst soon because the economics are not adding up.”
What’s Next?
With Undekhi Season 4 on the horizon and a major South Asian dance film for Netflix featuring Hasan Minhaj, Lilly Singh, and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Ankur is excited to finally step into a “proper Bollywood hero” role involving dancing and singing. He concluded by saying, “I feel grateful that I’m being used in every creative faculty of mine.”
Also Read: 50 years of Ankur: Revisiting Ankur on the 50th anniversary of the classic
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