After saying ‘OTT is full of homosexuality, gay-lesbianism’, Ameesha Patel says she was ‘misunderstood’: ‘Would love to do a web show’

After criticising OTT content, Ameesha Patel has now said that she wants to be a part of a web show.

Mumbai | August 19, 2023 10:56 AM IST

3 min read

Ameesha Patel's Gadar 2 is in theatres. (Photo: Varinder Chawla)

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Gadar 2 actor Ameesha Patel, had recently faced flack for making homophobic comments and suggesting that the content available on OTT platforms is not suitable for Indian sensibilities. However, now the actor has said that she wants to appear in a web series on an OTT platform.

In an interview with India Today, Ameesha said that her comments were “misunderstood” and emphasised on the need of having family content on streaming platforms. She said, “I think that section misunderstood because I have nothing against what is going on on OTT at all. But, I only used to hear from people ‘we’ve put the child lock on to a lot of the shows and things like that because we can’t watch 90% of the OTT with family. Because there is too much abusive language or too much of nudity or violence, it is dark content and we want family content. We want where a grandchild can sit with a grandfather with everyone in between and watch a wholesome family film’. Which is what I had said was missing for a long time.”

She had earlier told Bollywood Hungama, “OTT is full of, homosexuality, gay-lesbianism… Scenes that you have to cover your kids’ eyes or actually put a child lock.”

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She also said that her latest with Sunny Deol has filled that void of missing family content as families can watch Gadar 2 together. “I am glad that Gadar 2 has come, and the reaction we are getting is that they love Tara Singh and Sakina’s family and that Tara Singh and Sakina have given a family film to the audiences where all age groups can watch it without blinking, where mothers don’t have to shut their children’s eyes or ears and that is what I am happy about. But, not to say that the content coming on OTT is not good, it is excellent, I would love to do a web show. I would love to be a part of an OTT platform. But more shows are not universal, it was missing in Bollywood and Gadar 2 has filled that vacuum,” she said.

When the interviewer further questioned her if, in retrospect, she thinks her homophobic comments while promoting Gadar 2 were phrased incorrectly, she said, “In fact, I didn’t phrase it wrong at all. I said the truth that parents would like to see a family film because today’s youth gets influenced by YouTubers, influencers, OTT, all these different media platforms that we have (like) Instagram… So, the youth is getting very very trapped by what they are seeing and we need a balance. That balance was not coming.”

Ameesha then expressed her desire to do a web show and said, “Definitely, make the content. It is working well, like Shahid Kapoor’s show, The Night Manager, all have been brilliant. I have loved it myself, I have binge-watched it. But they need to see that the world is not only full of drugs, smuggling, rapes, and things like that. Youngsters, the youth also needs to see that the world can be a beautiful place with good family values.”

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