Karnesh Ssharma says sister Anushka Sharma will always be involved with Clean OTT and Clean Slate Filmz as an actor

Last month, film producer Karnesh Ssharma, brother of actor Anushka Sharma, announced he was launching Clean OTT, a streaming platform pegged at providing female-oriented content. In a chat with Hindustan Times, Karnesh discusses what he hopes to achieve with Clean OTT, the role sister Anushka will have there, and how his gender-neutral upbringing helped him cultivate a respect and understanding for women. Also read: Anushka Sharma and Karnesh Ssharma’s Clean Slate Filmz strikes ₹400 crore deal with Netflix and Amazon Prime

Clean OTT’s announcement was closely followed by Anushka announcing that she was stepping away from the siblings’ other venture- production house Clean Slate Filmz. Anushka announced that she would focus on her ‘first love’ acting, leaving the production work to her brother. Karnesh says it will be the same way in Clean OTT as well. “Anushka will be involved as an actor, for sure, but not as a producer or creative input. But always a well-wisher for sure. She is talented and one of the best out there,” he says.

Clean OTT has been described as the world’s first female-oriented streaming service. Talking about the need for such an initiative, Karnesh says, “Most of the programming that we have in our landscape is 70-80% male-dominated. There is obviously alienation of a consumer base that has not been catered to. The idea is, of course, to have an OTT platform for women. But it is also to have a platform that tells stories that have a positive female gaze. It could be a story with male protagonists but what the gaze of the story is for women is very important.”

But he clarifies that telling women-oriented stories does not necessarily mean having all women cast or crew. Karnesh adds, “It is how women are represented on screen, how they are shown, what they are doing, what is their agency, that is what we have to change. Mind you, some of the best stories for women have been told by men. You had Bimal Roy and Satyajit Ray tell the most fantastic stories with women.”

His production house Clean Slate Filmz has already made large steps in that direction. Their projects include Anushka-starrer films like NH-10, Phillauri, and Pari, and other women-led projects like Bulbbul (starring Tripti Dimri) and the upcoming Mai (with Sakshi Tanwar in the lead). Earlier this year, Clean Slate tied up with Netflix and Amazon Prime Video to produce content in a ₹400 crore deal. But Karnesh says that wasn’t enough for his vision. Clean OTT was needed even though he was creating content with others. He explains, “This is a platform. which is focussing on stories by, of, and for women. Not everybody wants to do that. It limits the amount of stories you can tell. The idea was to have a platform, which will tell such stories at a faster frequency.”

Clean OTT plans to launch original programming in the first quarter of 2023. Timing, Karnesh says, is everything. And he explains why the time is right now. “What has happened with Covid-19 is similar to what happened after the 90s with TV. There, the TV remote came back to the women. But the programming on TV wasn’t for them until it was. So, again, now on OTT, there is a dire need for that shift,” he says.

Many often ask him if his focus on women-led stories comes from having Anushka as both a role model and case subject given her career in Bollywood. But Karnesh says that more than strong women role models, young boys need compassionate male role models. He says, “I think it is very important for the man in the house to be strong and have the right mindset. That’s where it starts from. So, more than having women, it is how your father and extended family look at women matters. That culture is important.”

Also read: Anushka Sharma steps away from her production company to dedicate time to first love: ‘Being a new mother who has…’

He elaborates that growing up, he and Anushka were treated the same without any focus on gender. He credits that to his Defence upbringing. He says, “I come from a defence upbringing. My father was in the Indian Army and Anushka and I were never treated differently. We were never made to feel that she was a girl and I was a boy. As much as she had to come home early after playing in the evening, I had to too. It wasn’t like I was given any leeway there. I think that’s what Defence taught us. I would give a lot of credit to our upbringing and the Indian Armed Forces. We were born into a system that was neutral towards gender.”

There is still a long way for Clean OTT to go before a launch sometime next year. But Karnesh says the process has already begun. “We didn’t stop writing,” he says with a smile, and assures that they already have 18-19 titles in the pipeline. “We have the right people in the right jobs and we hope to be able to tell stories that matter soon,” he says, signing off.