With access to the digital world, the audience today has the power to call out artistes if their work is not up to the mark, leaving no room for anyone to take their job for granted, believes Rajkummar Rao.
Rao, who has led several acclaimed projects in the last decade, including 'Shahid', 'Bareilly Ki Barfi', 'Newton' and 'Stree', said he is consciously trying to experiment with different genres to not come across as stagnant.
"The audience is unforgiving today. We live in a digital world where everybody has a point of view and a right to say what they feel like saying about a film. Earlier, we never got to know what they were feeling," he said.
He added, "So, we have to constantly come up with something new and exciting for them to be able to invest their time. I am consciously trying to do different kinds of films, genres and working with exciting makers."
The 37-year-old actor, who will next be seen in the Dinesh Vijan-backed comedy 'Hum Do Hamare Do', said even his upcoming line-up of projects reflects the diversity he is aiming for in his career.
Post 'Hum Do Hamare Do', scheduled to be released on 'Disney+ Hotstar' on October 29, Rao's forthcoming films include 'Badhaai Do', 'Netflix Original' 'Monica, O My Darling', thriller 'Hit: The First Case' and filmmaker Anubhav Sinha's recently announced 'Bheed'.
"Whatever projects that would be coming out now, these are all the films I am extremely pumped up about. These are the stories I always wanted to be a part of, the films I always wanted to do," he added.
The National Award winner said the challenge to keep the viewers engaged with one's work increases when a film is released on the streaming platform as they are just a pause away from never watching it again if it does not excite them soon enough.
"If your content is not engaging, people have the freedom to switch to something else. That is the biggest challenge on OTT. In a way, I find it exciting because you need to push yourself and the content," he said.