Short and Sweet: The Art of Enjoying OTT in Less Time

- Sanjay Vs. Shah

- After picking up the remote, you want to see something instantly and in a short time, but what? Don't worry. There are many that don't require hours, that are short and touchy and enjoyable. It also has a wide range of choices and the choices are often refreshing

Ka Jal had the remote in his hand. The mind was high. He had to get a call in hours and had to go out. Before that, she wanted to see something, but if she saw the whole thing. She was tired of doing Insta and Twitter and FB etc. With the mobile in his left hand and swipes with his thumb, his head was now shaking. Junk messages, bad shorts... what kind of addiction has he got to social media. But what happens? If you put on a film or a web series, if it doesn't end in an hour? Still he kept pressing the buttons on the remote thinking, 'Hey man, let's find something to make this boring hour of mine enjoyable.

Make...'

You too get smudged sometimes, right? Digital addiction is such that the books have slipped from the hands, the humming of favorite songs has disappeared, the fact that standing on the balcony looking at the scenery outside can be exhilarating is now a thing of the past. Left over are rare electronic gadgets. Mobile in an hour, remote in an hour. In less time, what to do when the intention of finishing an entire series or film cannot be fulfilled, and people are exhausted by watching, reading, listening or liking useless posts?

There are so many choices, brother (and sister). Let's check it out.

Do you enjoy the mini series? If you have never enjoyed it, it is worth a try. A series of four-five episodes will surely be found on some OTT platform. Like MX, Amazon Mini, Disney Plus Hotstar, Netflix, YouTube... Mini series are usually four-five episodes. The duration of each episode is also short, say ten to fifteen minutes.

Also know an interesting thing. Back in the days when the OTT season was not the same, i.e. when the world of online entertainment was booming, the most sought after were of the mini series type and short films. Today's well-known production company TVF, then a company called Pocket Films, etc. were in the production or distribution of short-lived films and series. Perhaps at that time no one could have imagined that a day would come when OTT would turn into a formidable force that could challenge the empire of television and topple it. The name of time. For one thing, the revolution of technology, mobile in every hand, the lockdown period of Corona and the 5G approach finished what was left. Today TV is struggling against OTT. The days are now in sight when OTT will be more powerful than TV anywhere.

So, it was about short films and mini series. The topics covered in it are mostly youth oriented and revolve around the simple things of life. Tremendous production values, multiple locations, no big stars etc, just easy, feel good entertainment. There may be exceptions for sure but they will be few and far between.

Enjoying short films is a different kind of fun in itself. Short films ranging from ten minutes to sometimes half an hour in length also have superior subjects. The thing about short films is that they keep happening. In particular, many emerging, promising makers who cannot afford to make a big and expensive film make it through short films to showcase their creative juices. A huge treasure of it is on YouTube. Some companies also produce short films to promote them. As Saregama and Royal Stag started a separate venture into short films six years ago today. Many of his short films can be seen online. Check out the channel called 'Large Short Films' on YouTube. 'Juice' (Shefali Shah), 'Rogan Josh' (Naseeruddin Shah), 'Chutni' (Tiska Chopra) is a treasure trove of mind-blowing short films like 'Juice' (Shefali Shah), 'Chutni' (Tiska Chopra) on this 'Large Short Films' YouTube channel. One can also have the privilege of watching a short film featuring a star of today who was one of the lesser known actors at the time of the film's making. Sometimes you can get a cool short film with a big star and enjoy it because many stars like to do hit or short films.

Another different thing about short films is the subject variety. It may contain themes that are not otherwise seen in mainstream films. Sometimes a social issue, sometimes some important question of the country, sometimes a strange thing, sometimes something else. However, before waking up to watch short films, it should be remembered that many short films are boring, dull, and poor in quality. To avoid such movies and stop wasting time, watch after some online exercise.

Finally, one more choice to add to the list, especially when you have witnessed the golden age of Doordarshan shows. Many memorable shows of that time are available on OTT today. The good thing about those shows was that their content really had energy. Such shows can be watched for a nostalgic feeling plus something really good to enjoy. It also has options that have a new story every episode. So, even if you take a break by watching an episode, it works.

Keep in mind that TV is also a tool to watch something like this online. From our mobile companies to the local cable operators that deliver the cascade of TV channels to our homes, they also have exclusive channels. Something different can be enjoyed in that too.