Shreyas Talpade launches world’s first OTT platform exclusively for theatre and performing arts
Shreyas Talpade’s announcement on OTT platform Nine Rasa comes on World Theatre Day, which is celebrated globally on March 27 every year.
Bollywood actor Shreyas Talpade has confirmed his plans to launch an OTT platform – Nine Rasa – dedicated to theatre and performing arts. The app will be available both on Android and iOS devices and will be available to download from April 9, 2021, onwards.
Talpade took to photo and video sharing app, Instagram, to upload a video announcing the release details. In the video, he starts by expressing his love for the world of theatre.
He talks about what inspires an actor to brave the stage and overcome his insecurities to bring to the world his performance followed by appreciation from the audience.
He said, “20 Years ago, when I first put my foot on the stage, I knew this was it. I knew this was my calling. I knew the path wasn't going to be easy, but I always knew someday, I will make that stage very proud!”
Talpade believes he has now got a chance to give back to the world of theatre. “So today on World Theatre Day, I promise to make theatre and art shine in its full glory always!”
With the Nine Rasa, Talpade wants to bring the world of theatre to the palms of consumers via an OTT platform. In a world dominated by the like of , Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ Hotstar (Disney+ globally), Nine Rasa aims to differentiate itself with its content.
The app will be solely focusing on theatre and performing arts. It will not have any web series, sports, documentaries, or live broadcasts. It will showcase song plays, one-act plays, long and short skits, solos, poetry, story reading, dance, musicals, etc.
Talpade, 45, is known for his performance in movies like Iqbal and Dor. With the world of theatre, much like every other sector, brought to a complete halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Talpade believes that Nine Rasa can be a platform to help the theatre fraternity. He aims to bring artists dependent on live shows and theatre to the mainstream.
The app will follow a subscriber-based video on demand, and advertising-based video on-demand model. At present, Nine Rasa’s website has hundreds of hours of original content in Hindi, English, Hinglish, Marathi, and Gujarati.
Edited by Anju Narayanan