Actor-comedian Gaurav Gera rose to fame as Nandu in Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, back in the 2003. He then moved to do different roles in Bollywood like Dasvidaniya, Woodstock Villa, Kyun Ho Gaya Na, The Shaukeens and more. He was also known in the small screen industry for shows such as Great Indian Comedy Show, Mrs Pammi Pyarelal, and Comedy Nights with Kapil Sharma.But what many tend to forget, is that Gera was among the pioneers when it came to creating content online in the form of YouTube videos, shareable short-form content or social media content with his characters like Chutki-Shopkeeper, Chut ki Geetmala, Pammi Aunty and more.During his recent visit to the city to promote his film NRI Wives, Gera recalled the last time he visited Ahmedabad and how it, and content, have changed over time.When was the last visit to Ahmedabad?I was here in 2007 for a reality show. We visited various places in the city. But this time, I can see that the roads are wide, beautiful and clean and I love the houses, which are big and lovely.Has India made it THERE in terms of online content?You know, online content was supposed to come. I used to consume YouTube extensively before the online and OTT boom hit our country. I watched other people from the USA, Australia, and more make videos online. I had seen teenagers doing great work, and I thought, why not try it here? So, I started making videos in 2009, much before time, and at a time when India lacked internet speed. The videos kept buffering. But today, we are ready for shooting, and uploading is much easier.What is the progress of content?I remember saying this to someone - the internet right now is very pro-creators and not pro-creativity. It supports creators to re-create a song that is already doing very well, and there are a thousand copies of it. I follow wonderful people on the internet, but I think more people should come out with their original stuff, things they could call their own brand. But somehow, there is a lot of aping. I feel everybody is blessed with a lot of creativity. And yet, I end up seeing remixes of songs, steps or other dialogues. The reels are heavy on that; it inspires people, but I am not happy as its still not your original content.Your acting career in brief.I think television-wise, I have and continue to explore roles and scripts. But movies-wise, I dont have much to talk about. I do very few projects because I chose to live as well. I want to work but also chill for a longer duration of life.What attracts you to a script?The vibe I get from it. Like in both Criminal Justice Season 3 and NRI Wives, have played serious characters. The feeling of wanting to experiment with something other than comedy made me take up both projects. I have explored a lot of comedy. It is also fun to play a serious character. It was interesting to do such roles. It has always been in my mind that comedy is my forte, but what if I explored other roles? How will the audience react? I guess life is all about experiments! Why not explore something new?Your role in the film NRI Wives.This movie is a compilation of four stories with a common link and talks about relationships, what they think, how they think, whether it is right or wrong, and many other dilemmas. I play the role of a husband living in the USA for a long time. My story has Raima Sen and Sadya Siddiqui as well.Do you think relationships have grey areas?Whenever and where ever there is a relationship, there is a grey area because our human mind thinks a lot, and sometimes it overthinks and creates situations which may or may not be required.What more after the Shopkeeper series and Chutki?Currently, I am in the zone of doing more OTT work. I am not creating videos as of now it has been a few months. I am following a lot of other creators who are creating content on geopolitics, world affairs and more. Then there is a lot to be explored in the world of artificial intelligence. So, I am in the learning mode right now. I might come back with a newer concept that is more mentally challenging for me. I am in the homework phase right now.What is your take on the OTT content we are seeing today?I recently saw Jubilee, and I feel it is beautiful. I would really want more of such stuff on OTT platforms. Initially, I used to watch content from other countries on OTT and wonder why isnt India doing anything like that. But we are getting there for sure!

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'I am in the homework phase' - Ahmedabad Mirror