Rise of Indian Content on Netflix, Amazon Prime & Hotstar

By Viraj Yadav | 1.7k | 21 Mar 2018

With the influence of millennials everywhere, the daily soap entertainment industry was not far behind to be caught by it. Gone are the days when cringy saas-bahu drama was the only content available in Indian digital market. Now inspired by the outside world of character and story driven content, the Digital scene in India has changed. With the changes occurring in watching habits of young India, big OTT players, like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HotStar, are shuffling their playlists with their original Indian content. So here's a list of some of the best and upcoming Indian content from big OTT players

1. Sarabhai vs Sarabhai Take 2

The first season of Sarabhai vs Sarabhai was quite popular on TV, and now Hotstar has brought this amazing family back. If you love sarcasm and family comedy, then this is the show for you. It’s a laughter series and you will have continuous bouts of hilarity throughout their episodes.
Seasons: 1
Release Date: May 15, 2017
Platform: Hotstar

2. Shockers

If horror is the genre that interests you, then, here is the series for you – Shockers. This Hotstar original Hindi series is moderately horror. Starcast like Kalki Koechlin, Dia Mirza, Amit Sadh, Prateik Babbar... and heart-rending short storylines make this series a good watch.
Seasons: 1
Release Date: 24 May 2016
Platform: Hotstar

3. On Air With AIB

AIB does an excellent job of highlighting social issues and current events with a generous amount of humour. The jokes are witty, the digs are snarky and the sarcasm is top-notch. Last year, Hotstar announced the show, with some trepidation, and a disclaimer saying ‘junta hume maaf kare’, apologizing in advance for the madness that was about to be inflicted on them. But the junta is unpredictable and went right where no sane man or woman should have gone. They watched the show in droves, making it a massive hit, despite fair warning.
Seasons: 2
Release Date: 29 October 2015
Platform: Hotstar

4. Breathe

Breathe is an amazing crime thriller web series which develops itself on the fact that a man/woman can do anything and everything in its power to protect and save their loved ones. It shows the story from the perspective of two people. One being Danny the father of a dying child and the other being Kabir Savant, a cop with his own tragedies and a drinking problem
Seasons: 1
Release Date: 26 January 2018
Platform: Amazon Prime

5. Inside Edge

Inside Edge is India's first Amazon web series and it is a fresh breeze. It defies the strictures of decayed Indian daily soap opera and creates a new template for original and gritty content lovers. The production value is high with an ensemble cast. Thanks to Amazon and Essel Entertainment (Farhan Akhtar & Ritesh Sidhwani). The content is edgy and niche, it shows us the ugliness and prettiness of showbiz and cricket, the two most loved industries of this generation.
Seasons: 1
Release Date:10 July 2017
Platform: Amazon Prime

6. The Remix

The day wasn’t far when the famous reality show genre would’ve come to every young person’s favourite platform of web-shows, and that day is here. The Remix is India’s first web-based reality show where a duo of DJ and singer competes with various other participants. The show is judged by India’s freshest and trendiest music talents in the industry like Nucleya, Amit Trivedi, and Sunidhi Chauhan.
Seasons: Ongoing
Release Date: 9 March 2018
Platform: Amazon Prime

7. Sacred Games

Saif Ali Khan is all set to make his digital debut with Sacred Games. Also starring PadMan actor Radhika Apte and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sacred Games is based on Vikram Chandra’s 2006 thriller novel of the same name. The show is helmed by Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane.
Seasons: Not released yet
Release Date: expected to be released in June 2018
Platform: Netflix

8. Bard of Blood

A full-fledged spy series, Bard of Blood is based on Bilal Siddiqui’s bestselling book of the same name. The espionage thriller will be co-produced by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s production house Red Chilies Entertainment.
Seasons: not released
Release Date: N/A
Platform: Netflix

9. Love Per Square Foot

Though not a series but Netflix’s first feature Indian project. Love Per Square Foot is produced by Ronnie Screwvala and it features Bang Baja Baarat fame Angira Dhar and Masaan actor Vicky Kaushal. The quirky romantic comedy revolves around a guy and girl who end up marrying each other to buy a flat in the city of dreams, Mumbai.
Seasons: 1
Release Date: 14 February 2018
Platform: Netflix

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not reflect the view of the website.
Viraj is currently pursuing Bachelor in Commerce from St. Aloysius College Jabalpur. Strong coffee, some sarcasm and binge-watching fuels his day.