Indian entrepreneur Karnesh Ssharma, a co-founder of production company Clean Slate Filmz, is launching a female-oriented streaming platform in the first quarter of 2023.
Clean OTT said its content will focus on female actors, directors and producers, from across India and other South Asian territories, with formats spanning international and regional films, web series and docu-series. In a statement, the platform said it would “showcase the credentials of an experienced team of directors, scriptwriters, actors and producers associated with Clean Slate Filmz, as well as giving rise to emerging talent”.
Ssharma founded Clean Slate Filmz with his sister, Bollywood star Anushka Sharma (pictured with Ssharma above), starting with critically-acclaimed feature NH10, directed by Navdeep Singh, in 2015. Since then, the company has produced films such as Phillauri (2017), Pari (2018) and Netflix original film Bulbbul (2020), as well as Amazon Prime Video series Paatal Lok (2020), which tackled issues including corruption, caste inequalities and discrimination against Muslims and other minorities.
Clean OTT’s press release also said that “the Indian entertainment industry has drawn criticism for its depiction of women, male domination, and lack of access to equal opportunities for women in recent decades. Having the privilege of growing up in an inclusive household, where women around him were encouraged to shatter glass ceilings, Karnesh made it his mission to use the canvas of entertainment to not only entertain but to educate audiences on real-life issues, often those impacting girls and women.”
Clean OTT will be driven by an annual subscription SVOD model and launch first in India before expanding to markets including the UK, US, Canada and the UAE.
Ssharma said: “I have always believed in the power of storytelling to move hearts and minds and I am conscious of the responsibility that entertainment platforms have in producing and promoting stories that do not endorse bias. For centuries patriarchy has governed storytelling, and as a man, I have always felt men play an equal part in shifting the narrative, conversation, and power shifts.”