10 Best Hindi Films That Released On OTT In 2020 and Where to Watch Them

2020 hasn’t been a promising year for anyone. Everything came to a standstill when the pandemic hit us in March this year. Places were shut and roads were empty. Even offices and schools took home in people’s laptops and phones. Misery surrounded people’s headspace as more and more COVID cases were coming to light. Things became more agonizing when daily wage laborers around the country began marching on-foot to their native place. This made huge international headlines and pushed people into a very bleak headspace.

It is in times like these when people are obliged to turn to films for some solace for, above everything, the foremost role of films is to entertain people and make everyone forget their misery throughout its running time. But due to the complete shutdown of movie theaters around the world, there seemed no respite for people. The only option that was left for people was to stream films online through various OTT platforms. It was because of this that there was a huge surge in the number of OTT users in India in 2020. Then suddenly there came some form of relief for moviegoers when producers started selling their latest films to OTT platforms and so 2020 saw a lot of great films released online for streaming. So without any delay here are the ten best Hindi films to have released online in 2020.

Directed by Hardik Mehta, Kaamyaab captures the small victories of a washed-up side-actor who realizes he is on the verge of doing his 500th film. Starring a terrific Sanjay Mishra in the lead, Kaamyaab beautifully captures the struggles of being a side-actor in a fast-moving and, often ignorant, industry that is Bollywood. The movie is filled with bittersweet moments which make it an inspiring watch.

Cargo is set in a spaceship where dead souls arrive to be reincarnated into a new body. Vikrant Massey stars as Prahastha, who is the captain of the spaceship and is accompanied by Yuvishka, played by an innocent Shweta Tripathi. Cargo, written and directed by Arati Kadav, is a wildly imaginative and original Indian science fiction film that uses mythological elements to put forth its themes. Although the film falters at the end and never becomes more than its parts, it nevertheless deserves accolades for trying out something new at a low budget. Keep your expectations in check and you are in for a good time.

A bunch of friends who are of North-eastern descent lives together in a small ghetto in mainland Delhi. They struggle with their identity when they decide to organize a fellow North-easterner’s wedding and cook their traditional food, Axone (pronounced as Akhone) in a rented flat for the big day. Axone is a comedy-of-errors that uses food as a device to show the racial undertones in Indian societies. The film also throws some light on how marginalized communities are ostracized by fellow Indians, knowingly or unknowingly. Directed by Nicholas Kharkongor, Axone is a bittersweet comedy that delicately deals with racism without ever getting preachy.

The film is a biopic based on the life of Gunjan Saxena, who went on to become the first Indian Female pilot in combat. The film unflinchingly captures the struggles a woman has to face in a male-dominated profession. Directed by, Sharan Sharma, Gunjan Saxena is a compelling and true-to-life biopic which is a rarity in Bollywood. Janhvi Kapoor beautifully captures the pain and hardships of Gunjan Saxena while Pankaj Tripathi, as Gunjan’s father, again delivers a confident performance.

Chintu ka Birthday became the sweetest surprise of 2020. It tells the story of the Tiwary family that gets stuck in Iraq at the time of Saddam’s fall. The family desperately wants to give Chintu, the youngest member of the family, the best birthday of his life. Chintu Ka Birthday, directed by Devanshu and Satyanshu Singh, is a terrific film that has one of the best ensemble cast ever. The film is a beautiful comedy-drama about hope and happiness, the two things we desperately need these days.

The fourth collaboration between Shoojit Sircar and Juhi Chaturvedi is a sharp satire on greed and modernity that truly shines in its quietest moments. Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushman Khurrana, both give terrific performances as each other’s archnemesis. If nothing, watch this film for the stunning cinematography which makes the film appear meditative, despite it being a comedy.

Serious Men, based on the popular novel of the same name by Manu Joseph, is a scathing satire on the caste system in India. The film, directed by the auteur Sudhir Mishra, follows Ayyan Mani, who decides to use his son to climb up the social ladder. Things go haywire as politicians and media get involved in Mani's circus. Sudhir Mishra, who is known for his highly political films, returns after a long sabbatical with an understated and funny political satire. Nawazuddin Siddiqui again delivers a remarkable performance, perfectly balancing his rage with calculated wit.

Anushka Sharma is on her way to create her own feminist universe, which is rare, rebellious, and mystical in its own unique way. Her films mix different genres to skillfully bring about feminist messages without ever being preachy. Bulbbul falls right into the alley. It’s a rare addition to the social horror genre that beautifully amalgamates modern storytelling with ancient folklores. The story follows Bulbbul, a strong woman who hides her painful past under her proud smile. Things become mystical when men in her village start turning up dead. Anvita Dutt, the writer-director of Bulbbul, skillfully creates a riveting world around her characters and uses Bulbbul to highlight her film’s feminist narrative.

Raat Akeli Hai is a gripping social thriller that skillfully uses the narrative trope of a police procedural whodunit to bring about important social commentary about class divide and patriarchy. Directed by Honey Trehan, the film has some of the best actors in town. But Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Radhika Apte totally steal the show with their scathing portrayal of grey characters who get stuck in an extraordinary situation.

Anurag Basu is one of the best working directors we have in the country. His films are messy, colorful, and whimsical cocktails of different genres. Ludo, his latest venture, is probably his most ambitious after Jagga Jasoos . It has five different narratives that collide coincidentally with each other at different stages and creates a whacky and bizarre world full of eccentric characters. The film has a tremendous cast in place that delivers terrific performances but the film solely belongs to the vision of Basu. He creates another rare, magical, and odd film that isn't perfect but is hugely original. No other Indian Filmmaker in India can match his sense of aesthetics and whimsy.