Mumbai, October 28, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Actress Divya Dutta believes the rise of streaming platforms has transformed the portrayal of women on screen, opening up opportunities for actors over 40 to headline stories featuring layered, realistic and relatable characters.
In an exclusive conversation with IANS, Divya discussed the differences between storytelling on OTT platforms and theatrical cinema, saying streaming services had encouraged writers to focus more on authentic experiences and complex characters.
“With the onset of OTT coming in, there has been a lot of emphasis on storytelling. We will say a story, a real story, which feels relatable,” she said.
The actress noted that OTT had helped normalise ageing on screen and challenged the assumption that women could lead stories only during their twenties and thirties.
She cited her own experience of headlining a successful show featuring a woman over 40, saying such opportunities would have been difficult to imagine in the past.
According to Divya, the shift has also allowed writers to move beyond simplistic portrayals of characters as either good or bad. Instead, people on screen can display contradictions, make mistakes and respond differently to difficult situations.
“You are not good or bad, you are a human being, who has mistakes, who has layers,” she said, crediting OTT with encouraging better writing and more nuanced characterisation.
Divya added that audiences had embraced the format because it offered flexibility, allowing viewers to watch content at their convenience and according to their preferences. She believes the change has also influenced expectations from theatrical films, with audiences increasingly looking for depth even in conventional roles.
With a career spanning more than three decades, Divya has portrayed a wide range of characters, including Shabbo in Veer-Zaara, Isri Kaur in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Jalebi in Delhi-6. Her performance in Irada earned her the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress.
She was recently seen in the suspense thriller Gajab Raat, in which she plays politician Suneeta Chaudhary. Produced by Neeraj Pandey and directed by Ritesh Shah, the film premiered on Netflix on October 23, 2026.
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