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The rise in consumption of OTT content in India has given birth to an interesting trend — adaptations. Not only are foreign web shows being adapted for Indian audiences, Indian productions are being adapted into different regional languages. Case in point: Tamil and Telugu versions of the Hindi web series Panchayat, were announced earlier this year.
Audiences have an “ever-increasing content appetite” for diverse storytelling and high production values Manish Kalra, chief business officer at ZEE5, says: ”The success of titles like Gyaarah Gyaarah, Duranga and more show that the creative ecosystem is perfecting the art of adapting to Indian viewers’ pallettes.”
‘Not a copy but a reimagination’
While it is certainly not novel, blending of global themes and local nuances brings fresh perspectives in the Indian OTT space. As director Umesh Bist, who helmed Gyaarah Gyaarah (an adaptation of the Korean drama Signal), puts it, “When you know the original series has worked well, it’s easy to sell your idea to the producers and OTT platforms. If it has worked in one language, then it might resonate across different cultures.”
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Actor Tillotama Shome, who is a part of The Night Manager — an adaptation of a British series of the same name — says adaptations are so much more than just remaking a show in a different language.“It is not a cheap copy, it’s a reimagination,” she opines, adding, “Adapting a show may involve altering plotlines, characters or settings to suit the new context; it has to be faithful to the source material, but also transformative.”
‘Something for everyone’
Actor Gaurav Arora, who played Fareed Mir in Tanaav, a remake of the Israeli series Fauda, credits OTT platforms for bringing new concepts to their audiences. “I believe that there is something for every set of audience. After doing Tanaav, I realised that a big chunk of the audience wasn’t even aware of Fauda. A lot of people are not aware of the content across the world, so the OTT medium really helps in doing so with web series adaptations,” the actor reflects.
Actor-dancer Mukti Mohan agrees and adds that adaptations allow for more characters and plot points to be developed. “My character (in Gyaarah Gyaarah) hardly appeared in the Korean show, but in the Indian adaptation, her arc was defined differently and she got a fitting ending,” she shares.
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What clicks and what doesn’t?
Trade expert and producer Girish Johar suggests that audiences might click with a show especially if they are aware of its predecessor’s prior success. “The story has already established itself among the audience, hence people believe it would be good. Once it resonates with local culture, it becomes a little bit more relatable,” he elaborates.
Interestingly, many adaptations have been reinterpretations of popular thriller shows. Ask if the genre matters and Bist explains, “It is not about adaptations, since the thriller genre is generally more popular on OTT.”
“A successful adaptation is a matter of masterful reimagination and not just the genres. The longer format also allows for a deep dive (into the plot and characters),” Shome ends.
