MUMBAI: In today’s entertainment world, audience is very aware of the content they wish to consume. Offering web series with crisp and finest content, the OTT platform has witnessed an immersive consumer engagement like never before. There are an unmatched number of web shows that have garnered praise globally. Here is a list of top 8 path-breaking web shows that have shown that they are here to stay.
CHURAILS – ZEE5
Directed by the critically acclaimed Asim Abbasi, Zindagi’s original Churails on ZEE5 is a first-of-its-kind show that challenges the patriarchal norms of society. Set in Karachi, Churails is a story of four women from different walks of life who come together to open a covert detective agency to expose cheating husbands amongst the city’s elite. These self-proclaimed Churails run their operations under the guise of a fashion store named “Halal Designs” that specialize in conservative women’s attire. As their operations expand, they come to be the saviours of abused, mistreated and harassed women, and their search for a missing girl brings them face to face with the exploitative world of talent agencies, escort services, and cosmetic companies. The show opened to rave reviews globally and is a must watch.
SCAM 1992 – SONY LIV
On 23rd April 1992, financial journalist Sucheta Dalal broke the story of India’s 500 Crore securities scam. Set in early nineties Bombay, the show captures the meteoric rise and the steep fall of Harshad Mehta - the flamboyant Big Bull of the stock market, and the investigation and repercussions of the scam that shook the nation. Sony Liv’s Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta story, produced by Applause Entertainment has been a record-breaking success story to tell. The show is the top rated Indian web series on IMDB that received a phenomenal response for stellar performances by Pratik Gandhi and Shreya Dhanwantary and flawless direction by Hansal Mehta.
AASHRAM – MX PLAYER
Directed by Prakash Jha, Bobby Deol starrer Aashram Chapter 1 released in August, and the second chapter premiered on MX Player in November. The series revolves around the corruption and crime that happens under the guise of faith. The story talks about a self-proclaimed Godman who goes by the name Baba Nirala and is revered by his followers and devotees. As the story progresses, the audience realises that the godman may not be who he claims to be and is harbouring dark secrets that include some heinous crimes.
Aaditi Pohankar, Darshan Kumar, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Adhyayan Suman, Anupriya Goenka and Tushar Pandey also play key roles in the show.
PAATAL LOK – AMAZON PRIME VIDEO
Paatal Lok (transl. Underworld) is an Indian Hindi-language crime thriller web television series which premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 15 May 2020.[1] It is produced by Clean Slate Filmz, and stars Jaideep Ahlawat, Gul Panag, Neeraj Kabi, Swastika Mukherjee, Ishwak Singh, and Abhishek Banerjee. Loosely based on Tarun Tejpal's 2010 novel The Story of My Assassins, the series is about a disillusioned cop who lands the case of an assassination attempt gone wrong. The HuffPost India and The Indian Express ranked Paatal Lok as the best Hindi Film/Series of 2020.
SPECIAL OPS – DISNEY+ HOTSTAR
Special Ops is an Indian espionage thriller series created by Neeraj Pandey for Disney+ Hotstar's label Hotstar Specials with Kay Kay Menon leading the cast. Neeraj Pandey along with Shivam Nair directed the series along with Pandey's Friday Storytellers attached as a production house. The series premiered on 17 March 2020.The series follows Himmat Singh (Menon) of Research and Analysis Wing who draws similar patterns in terrorist attacks and is convinced a single person is behind all the attacks. His task force team of five agents living in various parts of the world aim to catch the mastermind. Overall the story is based on the inspiration taken from Nineteen Years of nationally significant events. The story is inspired by several espionage missions undertaken by India in the last two decades.
THE FAMILY MAN – AMAZON PRIME VIDEO
The Family Man is an Indian Hindi-language action thriller web television series on Prime Video created by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. Starring Manoj Bajpayee and Priyamani, it tells the story of a middle-class man secretly working as an intelligence officer for the T.A.S.C, a fictitious branch of the National Investigation Agency. The series was announced in June 2018 and showcased at the Television Critics Association's summer press tour held in Los Angeles in July 2018. The Family Man premiered on Prime Video in September 2019. The series has been renewed for 2 more seasons. Filming for season 2 began in November 2019 and is expected to be aired in February 2021.
MIRZAPUR – AMAZON PRIME VIDEO
Mirzapur is an action crime thriller web television series on Amazon Prime Video produced by Excel Entertainment. The series is primarily shot in Mirzapur, with some shots in Jaunpur, Azamgarh, Ghazipur, Lucknow, Raebareli, Gorakhpur and Varanasi. It revolves around drugs, guns, murders and lawlessness. It depicts the putrescence, governance and rule of mafia dons and the rivalry and crime prevailing in the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh. Its first season consists of 9 episodes in total. The series was renewed for a second season and was scheduled for 23 October 2020 premiere, but it got released a day earlier on 22 October 2020.
HIGH – MX PLAYER
High traces the life of Shiv Mathur (Akshay Oberoi), an addict struggling to get a grip on life, who eventually finds himself in a rehab facility. The rehab is run by Doctor Roy (Prakash Belawadi) and two other junior doctors Shweta (Shweta Basu Prasad) and Nakul (Nakul Bhalla) who are working on a mysterious compound. The existence and sampling of this pill creates the biggest disruption in the illegal drugs market and manages to grab the attention of professional assassin – Lakda (Ranvir Shorey), amongst many others. But will Shiv and the gang be able to achieve their dream? Or will they be eliminated?
The 9 episodic series is live on MX Player, directed by acclaimed ad film maker Nikhil Rao and also stars powerful performers like Mrinmayee Godbole, Kunal Naik, Mantra and Madhur Mittal in key roles.
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