Covid pandemic that led to many businesses shutting shop led to a global meltdown. Now with the virus attack in China and the Russia-Ukraine war has affected the economy, it seems a recession is impending. While recession is becoming a talking point, showbiz needs to survive as entertainment is of prime importance. People in India, much like the rest of the world, enjoy watching TV, films, and OTT. Talk show host turned actor Karan Singh Chhabra, who will be seen next in the festival film Continuity, speaks on the issue.
“The first thing that comes to mind when you hear such news is ‘not again’. We have just come out of Covid and people are slowly recovering. A lot of people have suffered much during this pandemic and there have been huge losses. So personally, I wish more and more employment gets created, people earn money and everyone lives happily. But if this news is true then it is really alarming,” he says.
About the changes or precautionary measures the industry should take to deal with the situation, Karan shares, “The simple formula is to make good content on a budget. So a lot of cost cutting happens when it comes to shooting big budget movies or web series. You can opt for options subsidies where the government wants you to shoot in their states. A lot of such measures should be taken so that one can make good content at a lesser price.”
The competition is increasing every day, although the opportunities have also increased. A number of new platforms are coming up.
“Competition will always be there. The good change is that there are so many platforms right now. So there’s good work for a lot of actors. Earlier the platforms were less so very few could have made it to the television or movie screen. But now it is a very good time for those who are ready to work hard. So just be good, work hard, improve your skills, keep doing your work. Content ka hit hona , flop hona is not in your hands. Just enjoy your work and make good content,” he adds.
About the two tips one should follow to fight the recession situation, Karan lists out what he thinks would help. He says, “As I already said, making good content on a budget and getting subsidies from the government will help. Other ways where overall cost get reduced and choosing of stories which require less money in the making should also be followed.”
