Entrepreneur Karnesh Sharma on Tuesday announced the launch of Clean OTT, billed as “the world’s only female-oriented original content streaming platform”.

Karnesh is known for backing critically acclaimed films such as ‘NH10’, ‘Pari’, both starring sister Anushka Sharma, Netflix’s ‘Bulbbul’, and Amazon Prime Video series ‘Paatal Lok’ under their banner Clean Slate Filmz.

The content on the upcoming platform, to be launched next year, will comprise international and regional projects across formats such as films, web series, and docu-series, PTI reported from Mumbai.

Karnesh’s mission with Clean OTT is two-fold: to curate meaningful, intricate storylines led by female protagonists, shifting away from the male gaze’ criteria, which often dominates casting and screenplay, and to create a sustainable platform for female professionals to further their career in the entertainment industry, removing age barriers.

For centuries patriarchy has governed storytelling, and as a man, Sharma said, he has always felt men play an equal part in shifting the power, narrative, and conversation. When the voices of women are heard it teaches us new perspectives which, as an audience and filmmaker, are just as compelling and interesting.

“It’s stereotypical when I hear people say women’s stories are just about oppression or fall into the romantic comedy genre. Female first content is extremely exciting and eclectic,” the founder of Clean OTT said in a statement.

Clean OTT will be home to originally curated and produced works by the parent production banner and pre-selected projects that meet the platform’s messaging framework by other producers from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

The library will showcase the credentials of an experienced team of directors, scriptwriters, actors, and producers associated with Clean Slate Filmz, as well as giving rise to emerging talent, the release further stated.

The OTT platform will be driven by an annual subscription SVOD (subscription video-on-demand) model that will initially launch in the first quarter of 2023 in India before expanding to markets such as the UK, the USA, Canada and the UAE.

The subscription price is yet to be announced.