OTTplay Exclusive! Pawan Malhotra: Tabbar is three steps ahead of Drishyam

Actor Pawan Malhotra has recently been seen in SonyLIV’s Tabbar. The crime-thriller series also stars Supriya Pathak, Ranvir Shorey from the primary cast, with Gagan Arora and Sahil Mehta in supporting roles. 

OTTplay recently caught up with the actor to talk about his upcoming venture. The actor spoke about his expectations from the show as well as his experience working with all the cast members, his future projects and more. Excerpts:

When asked about his back to back releases on OTT platforms, the actor opined, “I won’t say that my last release Grahan and then Tabbar is back to back release. Also, they both are equally different from each other. This one is a thriller and it’s completely different. Tabbar means family (parivar) and this is about a guy and about how far he can go to protect his family."

Talking about how he become a part of the project, Pavan mentioned that Ajay G. Rai, the producer of Grahan, has produced Tabbar as well. “When he called and narrated the whole script, I instantly said I’ll do it. The script is fascinating and whosoever have watched the show will know that no one would have left the role of the father,” he added.

Furthermore, he mentioned, “Tabbar became a special project for me because everyone from the cast to crew has worked really well. Either it’s the camera and cinematography department or the actors that have worked alongside me.”

The movie buffs were recently seen comparing the family-thiller show to the Ajay Devgn starrer Drishyam. The actor reacted to that saying that it was a good movie but Tabbar is three steps ahead of Drishyam. "It is much more complex and an intriguing watch," he shared.

When asked if he relates his character to himself in real life, Pavan said, “None of the character from any of my films or show relate to me even a little. Acting is my job and I’m completely different from all my roles.”

Ask him if OTT has opened up opportunities for actors who were struggling and the actor opines, “It’s just another window, an opportunity. It doesn’t have much to do with giving chance to the actors who weren’t getting much work. Because even the great actors and the superstars such as Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui are working on OTT platforms. There are some filmmakers, who took the freedom of the OTT space for granted and without any reason put unnecessary nude and violent scenes. But gradually this space is getting better.”

Ask him will the audience consume digital space after the opening of all the theatres in the country and the Bang Bang actor says, “People will start going to the theatres with the same enthusiasm as before but simultaneously, will consume the content on digital space more than ever. In fact, some of the best shows and films on the digital streamers came about much earlier before the pandemic and people went gaga over OTT."

Mentioning his future projects, the actor tells OTTplay, “After Tabbar, I’ve completed shooting for three more films. The first one is Unfair & Lovely. After that, there is a film called Love Hackers and then, Oh My God 2 is also on the list. It will be completed next month.”