These are the times of major mainstream OTT breakthroughs, especially for the regional talent that remained restricted to incremental steps — regional web shows, supporting roles and crossover projects until the OTTs scouted and gave them their big breaks. One of the biggest examples of this trend is Pratiek Gandhi, a theatre actor from Gujarat, who tasted critical and mainstream success with his OTT hit “Scam 1992”. Several Punjabi actors, too, have found their big break through OTTs, the recent one being Mandeep Ghai.The brilliant, seasoned theatre actor-director, who is a familiar name in Punjabi theatre and drama circles because of her acclaimed performances in “Kuddessan”, “Saka Jallianwala Bagh” and more, is currently seen in Netflix’s acclaimed crime drama “Kohraa 2”. Mandeep plays one of the main characters of Twinkle Atwal, a seemingly quiet, docile woman, who turns out to be one of the biggest surprises in the climactic episodes. And Mandeep’s theatre training and experience was just enough encouragement to play such a layered character.“It’s been a fulfilling experience working with such professional, talented team of actors, producers and creatives. As a brand, ‘Kohraa’ has been one of those shows that hit too close to home. Being a Punjabi, I could relate to the characters, their stories and circumstances, and the social commentary that underlined the script as we have all seen the same happening around us. So, playing Twinkle came with a sense of familiarity. As women, we are always told to keep silent, not be loud or vocal in our opinions as well as expressing emotions. So, Twinkle is a woman closed for the outside world, with her dressing and her demeanour. But inside, she has a storm brewing, which ultimately consumes her,” said Mandeep.Sharing screen space with Mona Singh, Karamjeet Anmol, Barun Sobti and several other talented actors, Mandeep was an absolute ‘revelation’. “We are used to certain kind of ‘air’ or attitude when working with known or popular faces in Punjabi entertainment industry. But with them, especially Barun and Mona, there was no such approach. They made all the other actors, with lesser profiles, feel secure and everyone on the sets was very professional. Everyone was equal on sets,” she said. The series was entirely shot in and around Amritsar during peak winters and for Mandeep, getting the role meant going through auditions and waiting for the call that seemed almost impossible. “I never thought I would be shortlisted for a main role, it was a surprise,”she said.“Kohraa” touched some raw nerves and issues that Punjab has been facing, never truly acknowledging. Mandeep said that it’s time, Punjabi stories and talent, get bigger platforms. “Most Punjabi films play around with this happy-go-lucky spirit of Punjabis and comedy-romance angles for the sake of marketability. But nuanced, layered stories that show harsher, less glamorous realities need to be told. With that, the talent we have locally also needs a push towards visibility” “Kohraa 2” has several talented actors from Amritsar playing important character roles.