R Madhavan: Digital format will be more rewarding in future

R. Madhavan

R Madhavan is the latest actor to join the digital bandwagon and he believes the online platform will become "more creatively liberating" and a major money- spinner in the future. The 47-year-old actor, who stepped into the digital arena with Amazon Prime Video's original "Breathe", said he took up the web series as the experience was nothing less than working on a film.

"I think it is going to be more creatively liberating and financially more rewarding medium in the near future," Madhavan told PTI in a interview. As a lot of people in India have already conditioned themselves to quality series such as "House of Cards" and others, Madhavan said as an actor he was very keen to explore this new format.

"Audience here (in India) would have watched web series and have set standards, so if I am going to enter in this form then I got to be better or be as good as they are. I was not sure if India was getting that kind of content. "When I heard the idea of 'Breathe' I was blown away. I thought I would not get a better break than this in web series format," he said.

He further pointed out that, initially web series format in India was not taken seriously and digital projects were only allocated smaller budgets. However, with the entry of streaming giants such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, the prospects of the platform have brightened up. Conforming with the format, Madhavan said it is essential to make the plot lines sharp and intriguing to engage the viewers.

"There are times when you have extraordinary content that you can show in digital platform in eight to ten episodes. Such kind of story graph suits in between films and TV, and it (digital) is equally big, interesting, encompassing and is rather more sharp," he said. "Breathe", directed by Mayank Sharma, is about Danny Mascarenas, a doting father, who goes amok when he learns his son faces death. Having worked now in three mediums of entertainment television, films and the digital space, the "Tanu Weds Manu" actor found the latter as the most challenging of all.

"For a film you have Friday or three day weekend to gauge the initial box office collection, and for TV it takes few days or months to decide whether it is working or not. "But for a web series, if no one likes it then no one will download it. If it works then the eyeballs that it will get is manifold, more than a film," he said. "Breathe" premiered on Amazon Prime Video from January 26 and is available in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. It will also be released in 200 plus countries with English subtitles.

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