Amyra Dastur credits streaming platforms for changing the game in casting

By: Mohnish Singh

Actress Amyra Dastur, who played a pivotal role in Amazon Prime Video’s much-talked-about streaming show Tandav (2021), says that streaming media platforms have changed the way casting happens in the entertainment space.

“I feel like OTT has changed the game in casting. The audience also knows that people are being cast because of skill and not last name,” she tells a newswire.

She adds that not only the actors but directors and writers are also benefitted a lot from the advent of the new medium. “More than actors, I feel OTT has been a breakout for directors and writers. Any good show has done well because of the writers. It is easy for us, actors, as we get lines but the writers have to write everything and people are seeing that. OTT has given us some of India's greatest writers today," she adds.

Most recently seen in murder-mystery Koi Jaane Na (2021), Amyra Dastur next stars in yet another Amazon Prime Video show Dongri To Dubai. Produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, the ten-episode series is an adaption of the book Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia, written by Hussain Zaidi. Shujaat Saudagar, who directed Rock On 2 (2016), has been tapped to helm the high-profile venture.

Sharing how she bagged the show, Dastur had earlier said, “They just gave me a character brief and dialogues to memorise. I did my best and after a few days, I was called back for a second audition because they wanted to check if I could do the scenes in a different way to show my versatility. Everyone seemed happy with my performance and Shujaat called me to the office for a narration. I loved what I heard and then requested the team to send me all the episodes to read before I gave them an official confirmation.”