In the Indian OTT industry, there are a few unforgettable characters/roles, whose smaller screen time did not deter these actors from leaving a lasting impact on the audience. These borderline cameos / brief roles, performed by both established performers and relatively unknown actors deserve a dedicated list of their own.
Here is the list of some memorable OTT characters (in no specific order) that featured in Indian web series in the year 2023 who made a mark despite their shorter screen time.
BJ (Played by Saswata Chatterjee in ‘The Night Manager’)
The Indian adaptation of the 2016 British series of the same name features Aditya Roy Kapoor in the titular role of a night manager, who is pulled into a high-stakes game where he must face a dangerous arms dealer (Anil Kapoor). The show also features the gifted ‘Kahaani’ actor Saswata Chatterjee as Anil Kapoor’s right hand man BJ, who engages the viewers in spite of his shorter screen time. The show is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
Sunny’s Grandfather Madhav (Played by Amol Palekar in ‘Farzi’)
Raj & DK’s gripping show is set against the backdrop of counterfeit currency business and features Shahid Kapoor as a small-time artist who uses his unique skills to design near perfect fake notes using his grandfather’s printing press. And the grandfather’s role was adeptly essayed by the ever-dependable Amol Palekar, who has enthralled us with his earnest performances in popular 70s films such as ‘Choti Si Baat’ and ‘Golmaal’. His understated yet impactful act in ‘Farzi’ proves the veteran actor’s acting prowess despite a relatively shorter screen time. The show is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Harshavardhan Shroff (Played by Harman Baweja in ‘Scoop’)
The web series follows the story of an ambitious crime journalist (Karishma Tanna), who somehow becomes the prime suspect in a shocking murder of a fellow journalist. But who would have thought that a rather unsuccessful yet talented ‘Love Story 2050’ actor like Harman Baweja could get a fresh lease of life in his acting career many years later. He effortlessly plays the role of a senior cop fighting a deadly disease. Credit goes to him and Hansal Mehta’s spot-on casting decision. The show is streaming on Netflix.
Jay Khanna’s father Narain Khanna (Played by Arun Govil in ‘Jubilee’)
The period drama series created by Vikramaditya Motwane focuses on various characters and the dreams, rivalries, and scandals related to them during the golden age of the Hindi film industry. Arun Govil, who is well-known for playing Lord Rama in Ramayana television series, has a rather minor role of a morally upright father in ‘Jubilee’ but his sincere and controlled performance has left an impression on the OTT viewers and that’s the mark of a good actor. The show is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
SHO Jagdish Sahay (Played by Gopal Dutt in ‘Kaalkoot’)
The crime drama web series revolves around the life of a determined police officer (played by Vijay Varma) and his attempt to solve an acid attack case while dealing with his own personal problems. Jagdish Sahay plays the role of the senior of Vijay Varma’s cop character and aces it. Perfect example of an actor’s shorter screen time with lasting impact. The show is streaming on Jio Cinema.
Balbir’s daughter Nimrat (Played by Harleen Sethi in ‘Kohrra’)
Set against the backdrop of dysfunctional family dynamics and delving into the darker sides of relationships, the mystery drama series revolves around an NRI, who gets killed in a Punjab countryside just a few days before his wedding. Although the lead role of the two investigating cops were brilliantly played by Suvinder Vicky and Barun Sobti, the relatively smaller role of Balbir’s daughter was also beautifully underplayed by Harleen Sethi. The show is streaming on Netflix.
Shubh Joshi (Played by Abhishek Chauhan in ‘Asur Season-2’)
This is probably the role with the shortest screen time in this list. Although the ‘Cubicles’ actor Abhishek Chauhan plays the antagonist in ‘Asur Season-2’, his role has a much shorter screen time because of the script’s requirement. The mythological crime thriller series follows a brilliant forensic expert’s (Barun Sobti) pursuit to catch a ruthless and psychopath serial killer with the help of his experienced mentor (Arshad Warsi). The show is streaming on Jio Cinema.
Please keep track of this space. Because we will soon reveal our list of the memorable Indian OTT characters with short screen time which have featured in movies released on OTT so far in the year 2023.