HOW WEB SERIES CHANGE THE FORTUNES OF THE SLUMS OF BOLLYWOOD
Tucked in the by lane of Malad West in Mumbai is a ghetto called Prem Nagar . It’s peppered with a sprinkling of open Restaurants Gyms and grocery stores
Cut to the Open Café you see a bunch of youngsters in their late 20's. Men all Beefed up with w toned bodies and women mostly fair w and with a figure that any girl would give an arm for .
Sitting on an adjacent table their banter was audible. No they were not talking of the next screen test or the outcome of the last meeting with the casting director. They were all discussing their schedules, next shoot dates and upcoming projects . Most of them have finished their Chai Nashta left .Together . The Café was near empty. This was in a way surprising .
Knowing the owner I thought it worthwhile to catch up in some talk. The first thing I asked, "Kaka why are the eateries around so empty at 8 in the evening”. Rubbing his palm on his shiny bald remarked . Mirzapur . My first thought went to the badlands of UP . Later the web series. Flummoxed, I asked "Why".
Signaling for " Chai" we both sat there and off he went . Prem Nager has always been a paradox. People who live here lead psychedelic lives. They have chiseled bodies and beefy biceps . However chances are very high they have no clue where their rent of the next month or even worse their next meal comes from. All that has changed . With the advent of the Web Series there was suddenly a lot of work . Both for people on and off screen . Earlier most youngsters spent their lives looking for that “magic bullet” . Now they are blazing all guns . With Most big studios shying away from Big Launches and serials losing the flavor of the audiences, Web Series are providing platforms for most strugglers. Its organization and payments come through on time . The Production houses now rely on affordable talent, commitment and of course technical brilliance . These are here available in Prem Nager for a song .
Back to reality Kaka remarked . There is so much of Web Series production happening who has the time. He has seen for the last 4 decades, careers made albeit a few and a whole lot of dreams crushed . He has seen A grade performers turn into security guards and escorts . He could rattle names in a breath those who didn’t find the waiting in particular and life in general worthwhile enough.
“Instead of these bright kids sweating in this sultry cafe they now sweat it under the arc-lights” . “That’s where they are meant to be” . “That’s where their aspirations lie”. At the twilight of my life I’d look for these stars’ .
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