The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Indian Web Series

What Pitchers started five years back has now become one of the biggest trend in India and it's still going on strong. While there are some really good sources like TVF, YFilms, AIB who have given us some really great shows like Permanent Roommates , Man's World , Better Life Foundation and there are even smaller underrated ones like What the Goat and I Don't Watch TV and even ScoopWhoop's Baked , which wasn't much popular upon it's release but soon became one of the most popular web-series due to it's amazing story and great performances by the leads. These are shows that are filled with fresh ideas but presented in a relatable way.

But now there are so many other shows that might just make you wonder what really happened. What started out with something mindblowing like Pitchers inspired some really cringeworthy shows. And right now the internet is filled with them. There are shows that have become so unbearable that at some time you just want to turn back to the TV to the days of saas, bahu and saazish.

Speaking of saas, bahu shows, Ekta Kapoor and her streaming service AltBalaji has shows that makes me wonder how they even get these ideas. Their shows Dev DD , Boygiri which might seem like new ideas end up being about the one thing that every other web-series is aiming for: sex and booze.

OK we get it. Sex and booze might be a good thing to explore but when every other show does that, it becomes repetitive and boring. There are comedies like Life Sahi Hai that does it right to quite some extent but it too has it's moments of cringe and also shows like Life, Lafde Aur Bandhiyan which is unbearable. They have the same lecherous characters who have the same intention and it’s not even something that’s different or innovative.

YFilm’s Bang Baaja Baaraat also has quite a lot of sexual innuendos but it does it in a way that is totally new and makes you laugh throughout.

The only saving grace of AltBalaji seems to be Romil And Jugal , a take on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet but with a twist, that is it’s two guys who fall in love. But it too has it’s moments of cringeworthy dialogues and writings. Maybe The Test Case will change that. The Nimrat Kaur starrer seems to be a pretty good watch.

Another competitor in the market is ofcourse Voot. While Voot does have some interesting shows like Badman starring Gulshan Grover as himself in quite a funny premise and also Sinskaari with Alok Nath embracing all the fun made of his sanskaar. But how can one ignore the unbelievable amount of publicity it does for Roadies. If you open Voot just for once, you will know what exactly I am talking about. To add to that, it also features Bigg Boss . But they also have ambitious projects like Chinese Bhasad, which despite it’s numerous flaws, still has heart into it and Shaadi Boys , another comedy about sex and booze, except this one is about marriage organisers. I don’t have any idea about organizing marriages but I am pretty sure it doesn’t involve so much alcohol and sex and if I am not wrong, there is a lot of hardwork in organizing a marriage, especially when it’s going to be a big wedding.

Its's not that there aren't any good web-series. There are a lot but we are also getting so much of materials that are just based on a single topic, the topic of sex. There are unfunny comedies and even thrillers like Maaya and Twisted , two Vikram Bhatt that are interchangeable with each other. These have just brought a new low for web-series.

There was a time when saas-bahu and all the saazish used to be what people wanted. And that was the way big productions earned so much of money. Ofcourse now it seems that people have moved beyond that, so big production houses have started making web-series and well most of them are about lecherous men who are always in the want of women and alcohol.

Is there never going to be something creative like Pitchers ? Atleast something unique like I Don't Watch TV or What the Goat . We just gotta wait and see.