Mumbai: Dish TV’s OTT platform Watcho kicked off the new year with an original web series Avaidh based on illicit relationships inspired by true-life incidents. Avaidh is an anthology of eight stories about illicit relationships, each with unexpected endings that will keep viewers glued to their seats. The web series will premiere exclusively on 13 January.
Avaidh has a stellar cast that includes Urvashi Dholakia, Nasir Khan, Vikas Verma, Rakesh Paul, Priyanka Sood, and Ashish Narula, to name a few. The storyline of the show is based on sexual exploitation at work, a love triangle within a family that affects the couple's lives, a struggling actress's relationship dealing with social complications, a one-night stand, and a love affair between a teenager and a middle-aged man.
Commenting on the launch, DishTV & Watcho marketing head Sukhpreet Singh said, "This series will entertain as well as compel viewers to think about the intricacies of relationships and long-term consequences. This interesting anthology, inspired by actual life incidents, features an amazing cast and hard-hitting performances."
"Watcho strives to keep its viewers entertained with fresh and engaging content. The launch of Avaidh is an attempt to bring forth an intriguing story with a captivating narrative. We are sure that this new series will have our viewers hooked and will be a perfect addition to our ever-expanding bouquet of content," he added.
An eight-part series, Avaidh, is directed by Tarun Chopra, written by Dilshad Patel and Vikash Kumar and produced by Crescendo Films production, Suresh Thomas, and Mohit Shrivastav.
While speaking exclusively to Indiantelevision.com, Chopra said, "I've been in the industry for the past 30 years. This is my 54th show. I've done around 4,000 TV episodes, 150 ad films, one film, and various events. This is my first web series; in movies, the requirements are different; in television, drama works better; fortunately, we are in the OTT space, which is in between both of these mediums; it's an innovative space where you have to explore realistic things, and this is the first time I've had the opportunity to tell stories without barriers."
He further shed light on his experience working with OTT. "OTT is a magic box; I enjoy working in this space because you can tell different stories; there are no constraints; and you can work on any real-life stories that would not work for TV or cinema. Both TV and OTT will coexist in the future. OTT's share could be different. It will rise, there is no TRP pressure, but appreciation and feedback pressure will always be there," he added. "Producer Suresh Thomas had done a show with Watcho, and he wanted an innovative show that is not a typical crime show but something to learn from, so this show was created. We decided not to do anything vulgar, so we worked on it and there was no obscene scene, and we creatively incorporated it into dialogues."
Watcho content head Simarjot Kaur agreed with Tarun, saying, "OTT is not about fantasy; it is about reality. Real stories are working for us; everyone feels a connection; DishTV has provided us with leverage, and we have taken stories from our viewers and created shows in response to fantasy budget increases. It does not happen in real-life stories. OTT has a bright future in which we can experiment; it is limitless and can be viewed by anyone in the world."
While talking about the cost of content on OTT, she added, "Cost is determined by the content or project; it is never determined by the medium; we make certain that the stories are true, so the cost is determined accordingly."
Avaidh is all about the complexities of relationships, the unfolding of storylines, and the consequences of decisions. Avaidh is an engrossing anthology that will leave viewers debating what is right and wrong.
