Bollywood’s versatile actor Pankaj Tripathi has voiced a concern that many within the industry quietly agree with — that streaming platforms have increasingly begun restricting the creative process.Speaking during a recent interaction with Bollywood Hungama, the actor-producer revealed that while OTT initially offered the freedom that television and cinema lacked, it has now reached a point where creators are constantly monitored, regulated, and creatively contained.
Choosing YouTube over big platforms for unrestricted storytelling
Discussing his first major production, Perfect Family, Pankaj said that his team deliberately released the web series on YouTube instead of partnering with major OTT platforms. According to him, every larger platform today brings multiple layers of interference.“They decide who the creative head will be, the writing has to be approved, then they say the production value doesn’t look right,” he shared, adding that YouTube gave him space to tell a story without pressure, opinions, or committees.
Improvisation discouraged; actor recounts
Known for elevating scenes through spontaneous improvisation, Pankaj confessed that he has now stopped doing it because platforms fear controversy. He recalled a shoot where he improvised a line, only to be stopped instantly by a creative head who said the legal team must approve it first.“Now the legal team will decide what we say?” he questioned, adding that audience judgment has been replaced by pre-emptive censorship. For him, creative choices should flow organically, not be policed while filming.
Poem copyright incident
Pankaj also recounted a moment when he had to recite a short four-line poem for a scene. The team insisted permission was required before filming, delaying production. Taking matters into his own hands, he personally contacted the poet’s family and discovered that there was no copyright concern at all. What touched him most was that the poet’s son only requested a photograph of Pankaj holding the book — nothing more.On the work front, Pankaj was last seen in the film Metro… In Dino.
