Nivedita Basu: True to our name, ‘Atrangii’, our content always stands apart
The world of OTT might be tough and unpredictable, but one must continue to make content that is different, says Nivedita Basu, senior VP group-Atrangii. With shows such as Kiss Ishq N Konnections (KINK) as well as their brand new show Baghin, Nivedita is confident that Atrangii will continue to grow in popularity and be known for unique entertainment.
“Atrangii has always been coming up with out of the box content, and now with shows such as Kiss Ishq N Konnections as well as Baghin, we have clearly kicked it out of the park. I can proudly say that Atrangii is going places. You have watched Kiss Ishq N Konnections, that's when we had kick started our vision of what we want to do with Atrangii. With Divya coming in, syndication of Johri with MX Player and now Baghin on Star Bharat, we have grown by leaps and bounds. So, I think now people know what Atrangii is all about,” she says.
She adds, “Baghin is a fresh show which we are doing from Atrangii on Star Bharat. It's a big milestone for us. I am curious to see how the collaboration will go further. But yes, one thing is certain, true to our name, Atrangii, our content always stands apart.”
Ask her what she feels is a sure shot win on OTT, and she says, “OTT is unpredictable, if I may say so! There is no particular thing which is a sure shot hit on OTT. So, in the end, the whole game is quite expensive. I think that's where we are far better than any other platform or channel. If you can make a particular content at a particular cost and it doesn't pinch the maker, there will be regular content coming in, and there will be visibility across.”
Talking about how she balances creative aspects of content with the business side of her platform, she says, “There is always a fight between the creative and the business side. Talking about the owner of Atrangii, Mr Vibhu Agarwal; coming from a business background, he is amazing when it comes to monetizing the cost. Things were different earlier because we were working with bigger productions and bigger channels. And so, we always got the free hand of making content with a particular cost. But now, the game was to make the content which would be saleable and cost-effective. So, I try to strike a balance considering I handle the business side of it and the content side of it as well. But it's exciting like I said. The name 'Atrangii' and the kind of content we are doing, it's not probably any other platform which would pick up content like this. So, I think that's where we stand out. In such record time, we even managed to come in the top 10 entertainment apps of the country.”