Bobby Deol, Manoj Bajpayee, Saif Ali Khan, Abhishek Bachchan: How Bollywood's big names found a fresh spark on OTT

Time of India

8 hours ago

Once upon a time, Bollywood careers lived and died by the Friday box office. The hero got the close‑ups, the heroine got the glamour, and the rest of the cast got whatever the script allowed.
Success wasn't about how many people watched you, it was about how much money your film made in its first weekend.
Then OTT happened. Suddenly, the star system wasn't the only way to win hearts. A good story could outshine a big name, and actors could take on characters they'd never get in a traditional film. Veteran actor Puneet Issar recently described the shift to Bombay Times as,
OTT is a reality in today's time. It came in, and people love to watch OTT shows. Good work is happening there, and the audience appreciates it.
Puneet Issar, Actor
And nowhere is that truer than in the reinventions of actors like
Bobby Deol
,
Manoj Bajpayee
, Saif
Ali Khan
,
Abhishek Bachchan
and more, all of whom found new life in the world of streaming.
Bobby Deol's transformation into feared godman paved the way for 'Animal'
There was a time when Bobby Deol was best known for his chocolate‑boy looks, glossy hair, and dancing to 'Soldier Soldier' with
Preity Zinta
. After a few quiet years, he turned up on OTT and nobody saw this version coming. His gritty role in 'Class of '83' was just the beginning. Prakash Jha's 'Aashram' sealed the deal, giving him a menacing depth Bollywood had never tapped into before. Speaking to ETimes, Bobby had shared,
I have spent 25 years in the industry and never saw such a response before for my work. It is just phenomenal. It feels like I have just begun my career. I always dreamt of waking up every day and leaving for work. And that is exactly what's happening now. I am happy that with OTT projects, I could explore the actor in me, and with movies, I could reach out to the younger generation.
Bobby Deol, Actor
Back in 2022, he explained during a chat with TOI saying, 'I always wanted to be known for my work, and I got the recognition through OTT platforms.
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I wanted to play characters that were different from the typical ones that came with commercial cinema. I love commercial cinema, but the fact that I was getting to do something that was never offered to me before, enticed me. I want to be challenged as an actor every day as I know that it can bring out the best in me.
And that's what the fight is about in this phase of my career.'
Bobby also pointed out the bigger picture, 'Cinema could not accommodate everyone, but OTT has opened avenues for fresh, young talent.
Today, you can't find a director, actor or a cinematographer. It's not easy to find them available because everybody can get a job today. This medium is keeping even those who were complaining there's no work or opportunities for them on their toes.'
Suddenly, Bobby Deol wasn't just the 'Soldier' star, he was the chilling godman of 'Aashram', a reinvention so powerful it even paved the way for his commendable role in Sandeep Reddy Vanga's 'Animal'.
From dancing hero to dark cult leader, Bobby's OTT makeover shows exactly how OTT is a star‑maker.
Manoj Bajpayee becomes streaming's most relatable secret agent
Manoj Bajpayee has always been one of Bollywood's most versatile actors, but OTT gave him the kind of mass connect that mainstream films rarely allowed him. As Srikant Tiwari in 'The Family Man', he became the relatable spy, a man saving the country while juggling school PTMs, grocery shopping, and family squabbles.
When ETimes asked him about the switch to streaming, Manoj kept it simple, 'My focus has always been on the performance and not the format.
When I was doing theatre, I was working on my performance, the same holds true for television, short films as well as OTT shows. I know that my job is to act; the medium is no concern of mine.'
Suddenly, Manoj Bajpayee wasn't just Bhiku Mhatre from 'Satya', he was India's most relatable our friendly neighbourhood spy in 'The Family Man'. OTT gave him space to balance action, drama, and comedy in a way that big‑screen roles never quite allowed.
Saif Ali Khan's success with 'Sacred Games'
Saif Ali Khan has always enjoyed offbeat roles, from 'Omkara' to 'Being Cyrus', but OTT gave him a stage where those risks really paid off. Saif was one of tne of first mainstream movie stars to step into OTT. 'Sacred Games' was a game‑changer, pairing him with
Nawazuddin Siddiqui
in a tense, stylish thriller that had the whole country binging episodes late into the night. The morally complex portrayal Sartaj Singh , has won global acclaim and fan calls from places far beyond India.
During a panel with Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos at WAVES, Saif revealed,
The fact that it (OTT content) goes out around the world and to so many people. I get phone calls from people who wouldn't normally call me for a cinematic release, but on Netflix, everybody rings up, people ring up from Europe and America, and so we watch this and we're compared to the rest of the world. It's a very, very exciting space
Saif Ali Khan, Actor
He further added, 'It's been the most liberating thing and the most amazing thing for all actors all over the world. Earlier, we had to kind of fit into specific boxes, and there was a formula, a look, a style for the kind of thing you had to do. Today, thanks to streaming, we can explore characters in a very different way and go into much more depth, and it is a fantastic platform to showcase all kinds of things like long‑form storytelling.
'
Abhishek Bachchan finds darker shades on streaming
Abhishek Bachchan's career has had its highs and lows, but it was OTT that gave him the chance to lead darker, more layered stories. His turn in 'Breathe: Into the Shadows' revealed a complex, conflicted side that audiences hadn't seen before. He followed it with political satire in 'Dasvi' and the recent 'Kalidhar Lapata', proving he could move between genres with ease.
At the India Today Conclave, Abhishek had said, 'When OTT platforms came into being, everybody was accessible to anybody at the push of a button.
We have a larger audience now and better reach. You can watch shows in every language, be in Indian or foreign. There is a huge appetite for Indian story telling. Good content will always work no matter the medium… Fortunately, digital platforms do not put out numbers. It keeps the focus on content.
We have become far too obsessed about collections and money as opposed to the content.'
Shefali Shah
proved every character can be a hero
Of course, the OTT reinvention isn't just for male stars.
Shefali Shah's Emmy‑winning 'Delhi Crime' proved that streaming can deliver powerful, women‑led stories without the pressure of opening‑day numbers.
Drawing comparisons between theatrical release and OTT, she told ETimes,
Your film is not just dictated by the box office collection over the weekend. It's not dictated by stars. Even if doesn't do well at the box office, it still has an opportunity to prosper on OTT. Earlier, there was this hero and heroine, but on OTT, there is no such restriction. Every character is a hero or heroine in its place.
Shefali Shah, Actress
Why streaming gives actors a fresh, creative life
OTT doesn't care if you were a superstar in 2002 or an unknown theatre actor, if your story hooks viewers, you win.
Puneet Issar explained, 'There are matured subjects, matured scripts. People get to explore different dimensions of human experience through these stories… An actor is an actor, you perform.
Whether it's on television, YouTube, film, or a live stage, the essence of acting stays the same. On OTT, you might keep it low‑key and internal, but it's still about delivering the performance… You must keep updating yourself.
If you don't, you'll be left behind. Reinventing yourself is not an option, it's a necessity.'
A new kind of stardom is here to stay
OTT has erased the old boundaries between 'film actors' and 'TV actors'. Today, it's about impact, not format. You could be in a small‑town crime drama or a sci‑fi thriller. If people are clicking 'next episode', you're a star.