‘Why are OTT characters sending me friend requests?’
How would it feel if Humayun Ahmed's iconic characters Himu or Misir Ali send you a friend request on Facebook? One look into the profile reaffirms everything that you learned from reading books or watching them on-screen. A live interaction with the character would be fascinating, isn't it?
Recently, the characters from OTT shows, Allen Swapan from "Syndicate", and its spin-off "Myself Allen Swapan", and OC Harun from "Mohanagar" has been actively interacting with fans on the social media prior to the release of these shows.
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Allen Swapan: The underground mafioso, who does his underhanded dealings remaining hidden. He is the antagonist from Shihab Shaheen directorial web-series "Syndicate", donned by Nasir Uddin Khan. After the show's release in July, 2022, the character became popular for its unique representation, the character's quirkiness, and the way Nasir Uddin portrayed the role perfectly played by the actor captured imaginations across the globe. Owing to his popularity, he became the lead of his own spin-off show.
As a promotional strategy, OTT platform Chorki came up with this unique idea to engage people with Allen Swapan's character. Director Shihab Shaheen told The Daily Star that this profile is being operated by Chorki's promotional team, and they have been jointly planning when to post what, and how to keep the audience on the loop about the upcoming show.
Tanzina Rahman Tasnim, communication officer, Chorki also informed that they have been focusing on this promotional campaign prior to the release of the show, however, she also added that since Allen Swapan is a negative role, they are showcasing Allen Swapan positively on social media in a sarcastic manner. They will also continue the activity of this profile, post-release.
OC Harun: The witty police officer has been ruling people's hearts of people since its release in June, 2021. After the long wait for two years, the sequel of Ashfaque Nipun's cop crime thriller web-series is set to stream from April 20. There is an id named after OC Harun roaming on Facebook, sending requests to people. In this regard, the director informed that the profile probably has been created by a fan. "I have also got the friend request, and messages saying if I don't accept, he will arrest me," laughs the director.
Whether the profile of OC Harun being able to portray just the character donned by Mosharraf Karim? In response, Nipun says, "Obviously, OC Harun is a very realistic character, with serious tone and activities. He would rather chase for a real mission, than making funny comments around on social media."
Kaiser Chowdhury: ADC Kaiser Chowdhury is a homicide detective, who is addicted to games and loves to keep suspense in the way he works. His personal life, however, is tumultuous. The Hoichoi web-series created a buzz in July, 2022. The Tanim Noor directorial project featured Afran Nisho as Kaiser.
It is unknown to many, but after the show's success a fan made profile was opened, and from there artistes and crew members of the production was getting requests. "We had no clue who was operating the profile," said Tanim Noor. "It is a great way of promoting a project, however, the profile of Kaiser Chowdhury was probably opened by a fan." The director shared that he has kept the request pending.
Rafsan Haque: Vicky Zahed's iconic character Rafsan Haque, a cannibal chef, donned by Afran Nisho in the "Punorjonmo" series, was one of the most popular spin-offs in the history of Bengali content. Vicky told The Daily Star that there was a profile named Rafsan Haque was created by a fan, and they had no promotional strategy as such. "However, this idea really worked in promoting our series. Although it happened organically, it is really a great concept especially for the digital contents as the audience can relate more and interacting with the onscreen characters make them more involved in the project itself."
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