In these past three years India’s digital game is getting stronger after web movers like TVF play, Eros now, Bindaas, and Dice media. They’re making unique content of multiple genres from comedy to crime. Though Breathe and Inside Edge came in before on Amazon Prime but the hype of the web series kicked in after the success of Sacred Games and Mirzapur. During this lockdown, some exceptional series released on various digital forums. Here are three of my favorite ones.
AARYA
The recent comeback of Sushmita Sen in this crime drama series “Aarya” is trending everywhere. The story is about a housewife who has to pay the debt of her husband after his murder. Her husband deals in the drug business and now she has to take over it to protect her three children. This character-based series is thrilling and will keep you on edge. People are already anticipating season 2. Apart from great performances what I like about this series is the interesting narrative and pleasing visuals. This Disney+Hotstar hyped series, “Aarya” is a remake of a famous Dutch series Penoza, Black Widow. While watching the trailer of the series, I found a few similarities as well. Apart from adding the Indian cultural aspect, there wasn’t much difference in the story. Penoza released in the year 2010 and ends in 2017. Let’s see if season 2 of Aarya is promising just like the first one.
PAATAL LOK
Amazon Prime series, Paatal Lok produced by Anushka Sharma’s production company Clean slate is creating hype and is being appreciated by the masses. Though the series has no ‘big’ celebrity but has some incredible performances by Neeraj kabi, Abhishek Banerjee, Gwala Gujjar, and Jaideep Ahlawat. The series is based on the book “The Story of My Assassins” by Tarun Tejpal. This investigative thriller is terrifying with mind-blowing scenes of murders. The story surrounds four killers who have been arrested for trying to murder the head of a leading news channel and one of the country’s most high-profile journalists. The case has been assigned to a common police officer; Rajesh Sharma played by Gwala Gujjar but another cop Hathi Ram played by Jaideep Ahlawat holds onto the case as he believes it’s a high-profile case. I personally like investigative series and this one is one of my favourites now.
PANCHAYAT
This TVF produced Amazon Prime series Panchayat directed by Deepak Kumar Mishra (Permanent Roommates) is a comedy series starring Jitendar Kumar. It’s an 8-episode series of an engineering graduate in New Delhi who applies for a government job in a village Panchayat. The story is about his struggle living in a village, an atmosphere where he has never lived before. He’s lonely and irritated. The best part I liked about this series is that each episode surrounds very small routine issues.
