We are just in the initial days of OTT: Shamol Mawla

Actor Shamol Mawla continues to mesmerize everyone with his gripping acting skills. Hitting the headlines for his acting prowess in Hoichoi Original ‘Money Honey’ and ‘Mohanagar’, ZEE5’s ‘Contract’ and ‘Mainkar Chipay’, and Binge’s ‘Pachish’, Shamol Mawla has turned the tide in his favour. As a result, he is now one of the most sough-after names in the list of the directors.

The actor has already secured a huge fan base. He thinks that he is destined only for acting and has still a long way to go.

In reply to a question about his personal preference regarding OTT, small-screen or the silver screen, Shamol said, “I will invest my time in the projects which I will find interesting, no matter what the medium is. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a web series, drama, film or stage play, I am in favour of acting.”

As more and more new video-on-demand platforms are surfacing, Shamol feels that the OTT scene will be enriched and get bigger in the future. “We are just in the initial days. It will expand further. It will take a big shape, I hope. It will happen, for sure, in the coming days,” he said. “OTTs have ushered in a new era in the film industry. More works mean more employment for the artistes, teams and the entire industry.”

Asked about his feeling to be hailed as the OTT guru by his fans, he shared, “It causes annoyance sometimes, because we are still in the inception of the web journey. On the contrary, when I realise that someone is thinking about me this way, I also feel good. It’s a matter of pleasure indeed,” added the actor.

So, what’s the mantra that inspires the actor to dive deep into the character? He replied, “It’s secret. It cannot be disclosed.”

Asked about his career trajectory, the actor, who appeared in films like ‘Guerrila’, anthology film ‘Iti Tomari Dhaka’ and Tauquir Ahmed’s ‘Sphulingo’, told The Business Post, “I think I am doing everything fine. Though it will be realised at the end what was right and what went wrong, I believe I’m still on the right track. I am still trying to master acting and yet to enter into the core of this art. It’s just the beginning and there is a long road ahead for me.”

The actor added about his favourite web projects, “I have an extra feeling for ‘Money Honey’, because it was the first series that has taught us a lot of things such as what is a web series, how it happens and how to do a web series. It just came and went in a flash. As the first series, ‘Money Honey’ is special to some extent.”

Besides acting, he loves music as well. “Apart from watching movies, series or dramas, I also try to do some music as a leisure activity,” he said adding that he can also play dhol (double-sided barrel drum).

Shamol Mawla is currently busy with several projects, including a web series for Grameenphone’s OTT platform Bioscope, directed by Mahadi Hasan Tinku, which is expected to be completed soon. Meanwhile, he has started shooting for a single drama for ZEE5 recently. He is also scheduled to start shooting for a ZEE5 serial from September’s first week.