Samir Soni made his acting debut with the television series Samantha and gained popularity for his role as Purab Mehra in Ekta Kapoor’s hit daily soap, Kasautii Zindagii Kay. He has since starred in quite a few films and TV shows. Apart from acting, he also directed a film – titled My Birthday Song – in 2018. He also starred in The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives. Ahead of the release of his OTT series – Sarvam Shakthi Mayam – the actor spoke to News18 about his take on the films vs OTT debate, the impact it has had on his career and his thoughts on the show.
What challenges did you face while portraying a character in a series with religious belief undertones?
The character comes from a logical perspective and I can relate to that. It openly challenges the presence of God and that is a risk because it can offend people.
As an actor, do you believe that OTT platforms provide a level playing field for artists now? What are the kind of roles you are looking to do more of?
OTT has been a boon to this industry. Because of the opportunities it offers to explore different topics, subjects. Earlier we would have only two options – one would be television and another would be films, which are expensive to promote. That apart, there’s so much money riding on a film that you tend to not get too many chances. In OTT, you can. That’s why there’s a variety of content. We can rightly say, content is king now. To make a good show, you can have actors people haven’t heard of and audience might love the show. You don’t need a big name to make a good show. So, it’s very financially viable. I’m loving the OTT boom. Even the audiences were saying “We can’t relate to shows on TV” or “Films that only have song and dance”. With OTT, the choices are many.
Do you think there are more age-appropriate and well-etched roles for actors on OTT now? How has this impacted your career?
It’s all about content. It’s not able one individual star. A show goes on for 45 minutes and is usually spread across 10 episodes or so. So, you need to have this room and requirement for other interesting characters. It is driven by stories and characters. Regardless of who you are – actor, director or write – it’s the most popular platform now.
What was it about the script that won you over?
The basic point of the story is questioning the presence of God. This is to say – did man make God or did God make man? That itself is a philosophical question. I thought it’s very profound. And because it gives you both points of view and makes an argument as to whether God is there or not there. I liked the character.
In your career, you have acted in daily soaps, films, web series. Which platform has been the most creatively satisfying for you?
It has to be OTT. The reason is very straightforward. In daily soaps, there’s a lot of pressure on time. You don’t have the luxury of time. Films, not he other hand, is the other extreme. The process of filmmaking is such that between script-reading to the time the audience watches it on screen – it’s almost a year or even more. You don’t even know whether the audience will watch it or not. Sometimes, they come to the theatre, watch a 45-seconds promo and think to themselves “No, I’m not going to watch it.” The turnaround time is faster on OTT. You get time to work on the character and play it well. As an actor, theatre is the most satisfying. Once you’re on stage, the director can’t do anything, neither can the writer. No one can say “Cut”.
In your opinion, what message does the series convey about the role of religion and spirituality in society? What do you hope viewers will take away from the series, and how has it impacted your own perspective on faith and spirituality?
I think the show is not about religion. It’s more about the existence of God. It is an intelligent, modern-day take on a mythological story. It’s very scientific. It’s a healthy debate. And those who believe in the Shakti Peeth, it’s a treat and if you just want to watch it for entertainment purpose, it has a counter point too. It’s bth for a believer and a non-believer.
How was it working with Sanjay Suri and Priya Mani?
I’ve known Sanjay for 15 years. We go a long way back. In fact, we have co-produced a film too. Priya Mani is a lovely person and actress to work with. We all had a lot of fun on the sets with the crew.
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