Through Nine Rãsã, the focus is on every aspect of theatre – long plays, one-act plays, long and short skits, solos, poetry, story reading, dance, musicals, etc. Everything that happens on stage will also happen on Nine Rãsã.
Unless otherwise you were living under a rock, which by the way in these Covid-19 times is not a bad place to stay put, you'd know that OTT platforms have never had it so good.
Without us having to belabour about it, you pretty well know that people stuck at home are seeking out these streaming platforms for some much-needed diversion and entertainment. In a sense, films are fortunate to find an alternate avenue to keep going.
But what of theatre and performing arts that depend on live shows? Can they survive this pandemic? That is a larger question to be answered later. But to keep going theatre and performing arts, a new OTT platform has been started streaming in India. Named aptly, Nine Rãsã, it's the brainchild of Shreyas Talpade, well known Bollywood actor, theatre artist, producer and director.
In an email interaction with TechRadar India, Shreyas Talpade shares his vision and values behind Nine Rãsã.
(Some of the replies have been edited for brevity)
The idea of Nine Rãsã is quite interesting and laudable. How did it come about?
The pandemic has impacted all industries undoubtedly but the theatre fraternity has been adversely affected. There are many artists dependent on live shows and theatre and these have been shut. In May, when the lockdown was extended, a couple of my friends and I thought we needed to do something for the theatre community. We realised that there is a need for theatre to reach out to the masses. If you can’t go to the theatre, let the theatre come to you.
As the world is connecting digitally now more than ever, from education to cooking, I thought even the theatre community should be a part of the virtual world. And that’s when the idea of making an app exclusively for theatre productions came into being.
Through Nine Rãsã, the focus is on every aspect of theatre – long plays, one-act plays, long and short skits, solos, poetry, story reading, dance, musicals, etc. Everything that happens on stage will also happen on Nine Rãsã. We curated some content and now we have 100+ hours of original content exclusively shot for the platform, which we are releasing phase-wise.
I am the last person who will be convinced that the lights and sounds of a live theatre will get replicated. I still believe and hope that the stage performances begin as soon as things get back to normal. However, why should theatre be limited to auditoriums?
But the whole point of stage dramas is enjoying them live in person. Can the OTT space provide that? The two platforms are diverse and different. Can they find a fit?
Nine Rãsã aims to re-ignite the offline theatre experience through the digital platform. The idea is to make theatre available and accessible to anyone, anytime and anywhere. The platform believes that the show must go online, and thus makes its way to smartphones and the living rooms of the audience.
Theatre is one of the oldest and purest forms of entertainment. Amidst our busy lives and newer entertainment options available, theatre has taken a back-seat over the years, and that kept bothering me. In order to bring theatre back with similar vigor and excitement, this time was the most suitable. Through Nine Rãsã, we aim to not only enrich the lives of our audience through superior, original content but also collaborate with the entire theatre community at large.
I am the last person who will be convinced that the lights and sounds of a live theatre will get replicated. I still believe and hope that the stage performances begin as soon as things get back to normal. However, why should theatre be limited to auditoriums? Rather, it should also enjoy the best of both worlds. It’s like cricket. Though it is played on the ground, thousands of people still get a chance to watch it on their small screens. We have to adjust to the changing realities. I hope theatre becomes synonymous with every household, being enjoyed and appreciated by the masses.
- Confusion in Indian OTT platform space: Two self-regulatory bodies on the anvil
- Netflix to have live-action post-production facility in Mumbai - Its first ever globally
- Top upcoming movies and shows on OTT for June 2021
The ultimate goal is to take theatre to the masses — theatre which was limited to the auditoriums only. But theatre has a good entertainment value with highly rich content. It has comedy, thriller and horror as well.
What are the essential challenges in taking the stage online?
I feel that this effort of getting theatre to the mobile screens or laptops or TV screens has got only positive feedback. I have been an actor for most of my life, but have now started to learn the nuances of business and entrepreneurship. But I have been fortunate enough to work with a bunch of passionate people who have made this journey easier.
There will be challenges when starting a new venture, and especially when it involves technology which is completely new to me. We began shooting as the first unlock happened. Rehearsals were all done through video calls. Logistically, technically and while maintaining the safety norms, we did face a few obstacles but we did achieve our goal. Learning has been the most crucial part in my entrepreneurial journey and especially with OTT. But being an actor myself and this being a passion project, we are certain these are only teething issues and have been successful in making the initial impact and acceptance amongst the audience.
Typically, stage has limitations in the way of telling a story, and literally staging it. Will those inherent handicaps come in the way of enjoying them on a different platform?
OTT platforms are a boon for the audience and the creators at the same time. There are certain shows which cannot be made into films and cannot be aired on television either. So, you need to have something in between. OTT for me is a great combination between films and theatre. On these platforms, producers can experiment with topics that the audience have always wanted to talk about.
I have realized that there are certain OTT films that are huge hits today but would probably not do well at the box office if released in theatres. The idea is ’Theatre ne laake yaha tak khada kiya, toh hum theatre ke liye kuch na kuch karne ki koshish toh kare'. Now how much this effort becomes fruitful, it all depends on you all.
The ultimate goal is to take theatre to the masses — theatre which was limited to the auditoriums only. But theatre has a good entertainment value with highly rich content. It has comedy, thriller and horror as well. This magic that people create on the stage is something that we are looking forward to delivering in front of people through the digital route.
With the same intent, I wanted to leverage the technology to bring theatre online, without making any changes to the art form. Hence, the plays are performed the same way as a live show, and on a similar stage set-up.
Is there a healthy and robust stage scene in India to sustain such an OTT venture? Can the content match the needs of this platform?
Theatre in India has always been very robust, across regions and languages. In spite of the advent of newer art forms, there still exist hard core theatre lovers who have been keeping the magic alive. Since inception, theatre has seen constant evolution adapting to the changing environments, making advancements in the performances and presentation styles.
With the same intent, I wanted to leverage the technology to bring theatre online, without making any changes to the art form. Hence, the plays are performed the same way as a live show, and on a similar stage set-up.
We aim to create an ecosystem for not only live theatres but also digital shows, to ensure we are able to reach every household, in India as well as globally. We want to bring to the world of theatre a blend of old and the new; legendary artistes as well as new talent, and keep on evolving as per the new trends and techniques.
We are focused on making the OTT venture a content-rich repository for an endless access to our audience. To ensure this, we have experienced team members from the industry who are working tirelessly towards a common goal.
Shreyas is a well-known screen actor. But this is a venture different from his alley. Why did he get into this?
I began my acting career with theatre and played an active role for over 12 years as an artist. While you find me in films now, theatre has always been my first love. During the lockdown, when the theatre industry was affected, I decided I needed to do something to tide over the situation.
The pandemic has created an opportunity for me to venture into a new space and contribute to the growth of the theatre community. Hence, I decided to develop a dedicated platform for theatre and performing arts.
I have often felt that theatre artistes are doing a tremendous job, but get little recognition, in India or globally. The fame follows only when they move to TV or films. I have experienced that myself, and I strongly hope Nine Rãsã will change that equation. I truly believe in what once, Naseerji (Naseeruddin Shah), in one of his interviews, said, “While there was a certain high while performing live - going online is an inescapable part of the future.”
There are two subscription models, Rs. 59/month and Rs. 599/year. It has a lot of free content too in the form of one-act plays, long and short skits, stand-ups, poetry, story reading, etc. Only the plays (natak) come at a premium cost.
The revenue model for the whole venture is not crystalised. How long can this be sustained? Altruism alone cannot suffice, right? Quite simply, what is the monetisation plan?
Nine Rãsã follows the hybrid revenue model which means it is both a subscription as well as an advertising based platform. And when it comes to pricing, the subscription is affordable based on a monthly as well as yearly plans.
There are two subscription models, Rs. 59/month and Rs. 599/year. We have a lot of free content too in the form of one-act plays, long and short skits, stand-ups, poetry, story reading, etc. Only the plays (natak) come at a premium cost.
Why are southern languages not available, especially when cinema OTT platforms are majorly sustained by content from languages like Malayalam and Tamil?
The content currently available on the platform is in four languages including Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, English/Hinglish. Going forward, content in other languages like Punjabi, Rajasthani, Haryanvi, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and other Indian languages will be added on the platform.
We want Nine Rãsã to cater to the diversified needs and preferences of the audiences, in India and globally; and we are constantly working in that direction.
