Mohit Malhotra On How Characters Have Changed: TV’s ‘Perfect Good Guy’ Wouldn’t Get Greenlit On OTT Today

Actor Mohit Malhotra believes the 'ideal hero' he played on television belongs to a different era. On television, he became a household name after playing Kartik Sharma in Bade Achhe Lagte Hain, massive Sony TV hit.

"Television, especially when I started, loved the ideal good guy," Mohit says. "Someone dependable, morally right, who put everyone else first. He didn't make too many mistakes, and even when he did, audiences were expected to forgive him quickly."

But OTT changed the brief. "Today's OTT audience is far more interested in flawed characters. They want people who make mistakes, who are complicated, who feel real," he explains.

That shift, Mohit feels, is progress. "A lot of those ideal, almost perfect good guy characters we used to see on television would probably be written very differently today. And honestly, I think that's a good thing because audiences connect more deeply with authenticity now."

Mohit knows both worlds well. On roles that leaned into the classic 'TV good guy' mold: noble, restrained, and easy to root for. He also appeared in Sasural Genda Phool & Jamai Raja playing characters that fit traditional hero expectations.

For Mohit, the evolution isn't just industry-wide, it's personal. "Television and OTT are designed very differently," he says. "TV was about comfort. OTT is about connection. You can't fake your way through that."

The actor welcomes the change. "Perfect is boring. Real is where the story lives." His point is clear, "audiences have grown up, and so have the characters they want to watch." Mohit Malhotra is here for it.

Mohit is known for featuring in shows like Bhagya Lakshmi, Naagin 5, Daayan among others.