Netflix’s bid to make further inroads into the lucrative Indian and Asian markets is getting further impetus. The streamer has unveiled its slate of original Indian content for the year 2024, and it comprises 22 titles — 8 films, 9 fiction shows (a mix of new and returning series) and 5 non-scripted offerings.
The offerings include Aamir Khan’s son Junaid Khan’s debut film Maharaja, which revolves around the life of a journalist, Imtiaz Ali’s new film Amar Singh Chamkila, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra, and Taapsee Pannu and Vikrant Massey’s Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba.
In the past, Netflix said India was among its priority areas and wanted to maximise its fillip in the previous year. Monika Shergill, Vice President – Content, Netflix India, said 2023 was the platform’s most successful year, “It has been hugely rewarding to see our members and critics love stories across genres and emotions from India – and around the world. In 2024, we’re taking this thrill to the next level. The biggest names and freshest voices in Indian entertainment are bringing their most special films, series and documentaries to Netflix,” she said.
6 New Series, Including Bhansali’s
In Netflix’s slate is the headline-grabbing streaming debut of ace director and producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali through Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, a typical period drama extravaganza. It is said that Bhansali had worked on it for close to 14 years.
Netflix said that Bhansali’s drama series has a cast that includes Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sharmin Segal, Richa Chadha, and Sanjeeda Sheikh. The story is reportedly set in Heeramandi, Lahore (now part of Pakistan), where anti-colonial freedom movement activities were afoot. Netflix has not specified its release date.
Another project that has kindled interest among cine fans is IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack. This is director Anubhav Sinha’s work that deftly recreates the December 1999 hijack of an Indian Airlines flight from Kathmandu to New Delhi. It was hijacked to Kandahar in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The hijack, which lasted seven days, is among the unfortunate events of modern India. The cast of this limited series includes Vijay Verma, Patralekhaa, Pankaj Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Arvind Swami and Dia Mirza, among others.
Then there is the intriguing series Dabba Cartel. Produced by Excel Entertainment, it is about five unassuming housewives who come together under unlikely circumstances to form a drug cartel. This scripted series of Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar features Shabana Azmi, Jyotika, Shalini Pandey, Nimisha Sajayan and Anjali Anand.
Also included in the slate of series is the courtroom comedy Maamla Legal Hai, which has started streaming this week. Headlined by Ravi Kishan, the series showcases the world of law through the eyes of its eccentric lawyers at a small town court.
Netflix is extending its links with the legendary production house Yash Raj Films with the series Mandala Murders, a detective mystery series fronted by Vaani Kapoor and Vaibhav Raj Gupta and directed by Gopi Puthran.
There is also Neeraj Pandey’s Khakee: The Bengal Chapter, which focuses on the gangland of Bengal.
3 series that are back for a new season
Jeetu Bhaiya will be back for the third season of the hugely successful Kota Factory, about the trials and triumphs of students preparing for India’s high-stakes IIT entrance exam in the quaint town of Kota in Rajasthan.
The popular series Mismatched is also returning for Season 3, and it features Prajakta Koli and Rohit Saraf as the two who now have a new challenge to their relationship — a new city.
Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein comes back for Season 2, and this love cum noir drama has Tahir Raj Bhasin, Anchal Singh and Shweta Tripathi in the leads.
8 New Movies, Including Imtiaz Ali’s Amar Singh Chamkila and Do Patti with Kajol and Kriti Sanon
Imtiaz Ali marks his streaming directorial debut with Amar Singh Chamkila, an untold true story of Punjab’s highest-selling artist. The film features Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra, and its soundtrack is composed by maestro AR Rahman.
The film Do Patti is headlined by two powerhouse actors, Kajol and Kriti Sanon, and is said to be an edge-of-the-seat saucy drama set in the hills of north India. It is the production debut of Kriti Sanon and the writer Kanika Dhillon.
Murder Mubarak is a mystery thriller by Homi Adajania based on the book Club You To Death by Anuja Chauhan. The cast of this mystery tale includes Sara Ali Khan, Pankaj Tripathi, Vijay Varma, Dimple Kapadia, Karisma Kapoor, Sanjay Kapoor, Tisca Chopra and Suhail Nayyar.
Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba arrives as a sequel to Hasseen Dillruba (2021), featuring Taapsee Pannu and Vikrant Massey, who reprise their roles from the original. Sunny Kaushal and Jimmy Shergill are the newcomers to the cast.
Maharaj, a legal epic set in 19th century India, has Aamir Khan’s son, Junaid Khan, making his debut. Also in the cast are Jaideep Ahlawat, Sharvari and Shalini Pandey, and the story is of an underdog journalist taking on a powerful person in the society. Siddharth P Malhotra directs it.
Neerja Pandey makes one more offering to Netflix: Sikandar Ka Muqaddar, a Mumbai-set heist thriller. The story spans 18 years.
There is also Anupam Kher’s Vijay 69, which is said to be a quirky slice-of-life film about a sexagenarian who takes on the challenges of a triathlon. It is directed by Akshay Roy, who has previously directed Meri Pyaari Bindu.
The film set is complete with Wild Wild Punjab, a comedy produced by Luv Ranjan, about four friends who decide to avenge a friend’s breakup by crashing his ex’s wedding. Netflix has posted the teaser of this film directed by Simarpreet Singh.
5 Non-Scripted Series, Including The Great Indian Kapil Show
Headlining the 2024 unscripted line-up is the much-awaited The Great Indian Kapil Show. India’s popular comic, Kapil Sharma, is switching from television to an OTT platform. His late-night comic show is making a comeback after a hiatus and is among the most anticipated shows of the year. His regulars Sunil Grover, Archana Puran Singh, Krushna Abhishek, Kiku Sharda and Rajiv Thakur join him.
Guneet Monga and Achin Jain‘s Oscar-winning Sikhya Entertainment is returning to Netflix with the eponymous documentary Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous. It offers an immersive look at the life of the rapper who disappeared from the spotlight at the peak of his career.
On the sports front is the show The Greatest Rivalry – India vs Pakistan. And the documentary trains its focus on the cricketing battles between the sub-continent rivals. It has words from Virender Sehwag, Saurav Ganguly, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shoaib Akhtar, Javed Miandad, Waqar Younis and Inzamam-ul-Haq.
Director Nisha Pahuja’s Oscar-nominated documentary To Kill a Tiger tells the fight of a father for justice following the sexual assault of his 13-year-old daughter.
Rounding up the list is Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Wives. It is the sequel to Karan Johar’s Bollywood Wives. The previous two seasons provided glimpses into the lives of four-star wives – Seema Sajdeh (previously married to Sohail Khan), Maheep Kapoor (Sanjay Kapoor’s wife), Bhavana Pandey (wife of Chunky Pandey) and Neelam Kothari (married to Samir Soni). It had guest appearances by Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri Khan and Ranveer Singh.
Now, Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Wives will pit India’s capital, Delhi, against Bollywood headquarters, Mumbai, with three divas from the capital pitched against the Bollywood wives. The new additions to the show are Riddhima Kapoor Sahni (Neetu Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor’s daughter), Shalini Passi and Kalyani Saha Chawla.
