Mumbai, Dec 8 Actress Ayesha Raza Mishra has shared her candid take on why 1990s shows enjoyed lasting recall value and why today’s content struggle to hold attention, pointing to the impact of constant scrolling and reel consumption.
Talking to IANS, Ayesha said that audiences earlier could sit through a three-hour film without distraction, but now find themselves switching between a movie and their phones.
“The attention span has reduced a lot. You cannot even focus on watching a movie. Now, you have to keep looking at your Instagram, then you're watching a movie, then you're looking at your phone, then you're watching a movie,” Ayesha told IANS.
“You cannot even focus on watching a movie. So, that is because everything is because of reels. The scrolling, if you don't engage within the first 2 seconds, you've moved up,” she added.
Ayesha added that the pressure to grab viewers within seconds has reshaped storytelling.
“So, in a series, you have to work hard. You have to understand the story. In the first episode, you have to grasp what the person is saying. What is the story?”
She also expressed concern that commercial considerations increasingly dictate stories and casting. While calling it a natural part of the medium, she said the creative side is suffering.
“And also, unfortunately, commercials are dictating your stories. Commercials are dictating your casting. Which is a good thing. It's a commercial medium. But there is a creative side to our medium which is being, I feel right now, neglected.”
“Because I feel that if you get back to your writers, we have great writers in this country. But unfortunately, a lot of writers are out of work right now. A lot of writers.”
Ayesha said a return to original, rooted narratives is the only way to restore strong recall value.
“So, I think that let's get back to our stories. Our stories of our country, stories of our people, stories of our land, if we make them, they will be 100% recall value,” said the actress, who will be seen in Netflix’s “Single Papa” alongside Manoj Pahwa, Kunal Kemmu, Prajakta Koli and Neha Dhupia.
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