If you’re one of those who survived the pandemic and the resultant lockdown on a diet of varied OTT content in 2020, you’ll be looking forward to what the different platforms have on offer for 2021. Here’s a quick look at some of the most exciting and promising shows and films that popular OTT platforms have on offer in the new year.
On Netflix
The White Tiger
If you’ve already seen the stunning trailer of The White Tiger, you’ll know why this Priyanaka Chopra, Rajkummar Rao and Adarsh Gourav-starrer is up there on the list. That it is based on Arvind Adiga’s Booker winner and has the acclaimed Ramin Bahrani at the helm just makes it more special. The White Tiger is set to release on Netflix on 22 January 2021.
Baahubali: Before the Beginning
It’s been a long wait for fans of the blockbuster Baahubali film franchise. Baahubali: Before the Beginning was announced as an original Netflix series in 2018 and is reportedly the origin story of Sivagami with actor Mrunal Thakur essaying the young queen-to-be. Apart from Mrunal, the series will also feature Rahul Bose, Atul Kulkarni, Vaquar Shaikh, Jameel Khan, Siddharth Arora and Anup Soni.
Bombay Begums
The series Bombay Begums sounds promising as it features a host of talented actors, who we don’t get to see much of, namely Pooja Bhatt, Shahana Goswami, Amruta Subhash and Plabita Borthakur. The series is directed by Alankrita Srivastava of Lipstick Under My Burkha fame. In an early communication, Netflix described the series as: “the ambitions, frailties and love lives of contemporary women take centre-stage when four fearless women and a young teen are thrown together in the workplace”. Bring on the ladies!
Madhuri Dixit’s Untitled Series
According to a report by Variety, Madhuri Dixit will be making her web series debut on Netflix. The series, which is still untitled, will see Karan Johar as the creative producer. The show will be a reflection on the lives of people in the entertainment industry and is being written by New York-based writer-director Sri Rao. There were reports that the series is titled The Heroine and would star Madhuri herself, however this has not been officially confirmed. Madhuri had earlier partnered with Netflix for her Marathi home production 15th August.
Freedom
After taking part in Netflix anthologies Lust Stories and Ghost Stories, filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee is now making a feature-length film for the platform. Titled Freedom, the film stars Naseeruddin Shah, Manisha Koirala, Huma Qureshi, Kalki Koechlin, Divya Dutta, Zoya Hussain, Shashank Arora and Neeraj Kabi. According to Banerjee, “Freedom is the story of us regular middle-class folks. With family ties, parents, grandparents, children, loves, lies, and secrets lost and suppressed over generations. It's about food, ambition, sex, and betrayal. It's about what we hide and what we wear on our sleeves, and about a past and a future that we call India”. Release it already.
Tribhanga – Tedhi Medhi Crazy
Actor Kajol is all set to make her OTT debut with Tribhanga on Netflix. According to reports, Tribhanga is a tale of three women. Set in Mumbai, the story goes back and forth through three generations of a family. Produced by Ajay Devgn and directed by Renuka Shahane, the film also stars Tanvi Azmi, Mithila Palkar and Kunaal Roy Kapoor.
Delhi Crime (Season 2)
Netflix series Delhi Crime was well-received and even won an International Emmy. According to reports, season 2 of Delhi Crime will have a new director, National Award-winning filmmaker Rajesh Mapuskar. The new season will reportedly focus on IPS officer Neeti Singh (Rasika Dugal), who will be seen as the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP). Shefali Shah, Adil Hussain and Rajesh Tailang, who featured in season one, will also star in the show.
On Amazon Prime Video
Tandav
Amazon Prime Video begins their line-up for 2021 with the ambitious political drama Tandav. Produced by Himanshu Kishan Mehra and Ali Abbas Zafar (director of Sultan, Bharat) Tandav is created and directed by Zafar, who also makes his digital debut with this series. The nine-episode political drama stars Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Sunil Grover, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Mohd. Zeeshan Ayub, Gauhar Khan, Sandhya Mridul. Catch it from 15 January, 2021 onwards.
The Family Man (Season 2)
Season two of spy thriller The Family Man marks the digital debut of South Indian actor Samantha Akkineni. She joins the ensemble cast of Manoj Bajpayee, Priyamani, Sharib Hashmi, Darshan Kumar, Sharad Kelkar, Sunny Hinduja, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Shahab Ali, Vedant Sinha and Mahek Thakur. We are hoping the second season is as thrilling, funny and intriguing as the first one.
Mumbai Diaries 26/11
We all have seen documentaries and films on the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack but this time filmmaker Nikkhil Advani takes us through the same incident through the eyes of doctors, nurses, paramedics and hospital staff who worked tirelessly to save lives during the attacks that ravaged the city. Created by Nikkhil Advani and produced by Emmay Entertainment, the medical drama stars Konkona Sen Sharma, Mohit Raina, Tina Desai and Shreya Dhanwanthary in lead roles. The series is directed by Nikkhil Advani and Nikhil Gonsalves and will premiere in March 2021.
Maara
Starring, R Madhavan and Shraddha Srinath, the Tamil film Maara is directed by Dhilip Kumar and produced by Prateek Chakravorty and Shruti Nallapa under Pramod films. Taking the viewers into a picturesque world, the film showcases the life of Paaru (Shraddha Srinath), and how she finds a diary full of sketches and paintings in her new apartment. Awestruck by the paintings, Paaru heads out to find the artist i.e. Maara (R Madhavan). Her journey traverses through a new realm of art, music, drama, romance, hope, ensuring a soul-satisfying experience. Maara is set for an exclusive global premiere on 8 January 2021 on Amazon Prime Video.
On Disney+ Hotstar
Bhuj
The film Bhuj: The Pride of India, starring Ajay Devgn, Rana Daggubati, Sonakshi Sinha, Parineeti Chopra and Ammy Virk, is one of the big releases of 2021. Written and directed by Abhishek Dudhaiya, the movie is set against the backdrop of the Indo-Pak war in 1971. It will stream on Disney Plus Hotstar, though the release date is yet to be announced.
The Big Bull
Abhishek Bachchan-starrer The Big Bull is reportedly based on Harshad Mehta and the 1992 securities scam. Post the success of Hansal Mehta's web series Scam 1992, all eyes are on this film. Directed by Kookie Gulati, the film also stars Ileana D’Cruz, Ram Kapoor, Sumit Vats, Sohum Shah, Nikita Dutta and Lekha Tripathi in pivotal roles. The film was supposed to initially release in theatres in October 2020 but was then postponed for an OTT release in 2021.
On Zee 5
Kaagaz
Starring Pankaj Tripathi and Satish Kaushik, Kaagaz is a film about a common man's fight against the system to prove that he is not dead. This satirical comedy is produced by Salman Khan and directed by Satish Kaushik and is based on a real life incident. Pankaj Tripathi ruled the web space in 2020, with shows like Mirzapur 2 and films such as Gunjan Saxena, and is once again all set to win over audiences in 2021. Kaagaz is scheduled to stream on Zee5 on 7 January, 2021.
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