Misha Sawdagar: Actors can show the full breadth of their talent through OTT

Dhallywood star Misha Sawdagaor has long become one of the iconic villains in Bangladeshi cinema. But the actor's range is certainly far from narrow, as evidenced by his body of work. 

And that is also why his transition from the silver screen to the exponentially popular online streaming platform, or OTT, was only a matter of time. 

Sawdagaor's OTT debut in the Tanim Parvez directed web series 'Ami Jodi Beche Firi' on Chorki has brought a wave of praises for the movie star.

Misha Sawdagaor said the response from the audience to his new web series has been overwhelming for him. He has been hearing about the medium's popularity, and even got offered to work for web content, but did quite realise OTT's reach. 

"I had not fully realised the audience's interest in OTT content. But when Taneem Parvez told me the story and explained the character he wanted me to play, it got my attention," the actor told TBS. 

Sawdagaor found it refreshing that OTT content broke away from the traditional format of Bangla movies. "Usually, we follow a specific format while acting in cinema. It's always about the generic heroes, heroines, villains, parents, etc. However, the new wave of online content does not follow the formula," he said.

"Moreover, actors can show the full breadth of their talent and skills through OTT contents, and since there is no censor, the creator can utilise his vision pretty independently. I think OTT platform work will gain ever higher popularity with time. I am happy to have acted in this web series."

Misha Sawdagaor plays the role of an engineer in the web series, where his character gets involved in a relationship outside of marriage and struggles to maintain peace in his life. Getting involved in corruption in his professional work  further complicates the character's life with the situation spiralling into dangerous instability. 

Sawdagaor appreciated how relatable the story was and believes this to be the reason why the series has been so well received. "The story depicts incidents that are prevalent in today's society. That is exactly why the series has garnered attention from the public."

The actor, who took time out of his busy filming schedule to appear in the series, is very interested in doing more roles like this because it satisfied him as a thespian. "I want to act in such stories or play such characters again and again. An actor is only satisfied when his work leaves a mark in the hearts of the audience," he said. 

Sawdagaor, whose primary work is in mainstream feature films for the big screen, was actually unsure about how the web series might look as an end product. 

"I had these concerns, but it turned out well. Since I have been successful in movies, initially I was worried that failing on this platform might tarnish my past successes and that would have been a bit embarrassing. But now I don't have these concerns anymore. Provided the script is good, I won't mind working in OTT web series regularly," he said. 

The actor has already signed a new contract to appear in a series called 'Jackpot', slated for release on 'Bioscope'. Directed by Rubaiyat Mahmud, the series is set to wrap up shooting by the end of this month. 

Jackpot's script intrigued the movie star and he believes the story will engage audiences. 

Meanwhile, the movie star has been busy as ever with his shooting schedule for mainstream movies, with a series of films lined up, which includes Sunny Sanwar's 'Mission Extreme-2', Badiul Alam Khokon's 'Agun', 'Ma Amar Swargo', Suman Dhar's 'Shotru' and Shaheen Suman's 'Kustigir', along with 14 other films. 

"The cinema is my favourite medium," said Sawdagaor. "I've worked hard to establish myself in the film industry. I don't want to stop making movies because I know the film audiences love me. As long as the audience enjoys my performance, I want to keep performing," the actor said.