This year is on the verge of culmination. Viewers have enjoyed various shows this year. Despite the worldwide prominence of the English language shows, some foreign series have also impressed us. Some non-English instalments managed to win the hearts of their viewers. That’s why we made a list of the top 10 non-English Foreign shows on OTT in 2021! Here it is!
10. The Boarding School: Las Cumbres (El Internado)
OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Language: Spanish
It is a story about a bunch of troubled teenagers residing in a monastery that functions as a boarding school for them. They endure strict discipline and punishments for making mistakes. Everyone in the school believes that these teens are unfit to live with the normal society. However, a group of those teens discover that the people working for the school are hiding something terrible and sinister. The Lodge of the Raven’s Nest is a strictly prohibited place there. Soon, several sudden disappearances and gruesome killings shock the school’s environment. And every student starts blaming that infamous lodge for these horrible incidents. It is a perfect show if you love the supernatural horror genre.
9. Inside Edge
OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Language: Hindi
The despise-filled rivalry between Vikrant and Bhaisahab gets explored on a whole new level in the latest season of the show. Vivek Oberoi stole the show with his amazing performance. Additionally, the supporting cast did well. The non-linear format of storytelling benefits Season 3 and brings a much-deeper plot than the previous entries combined.
8. Mumbai Diaries 26/11
OTT Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Language: Hindi
The production team deserves special credit for keeping this one as fast-paced and realistic as possible. It brilliantly displays the horrors of the notorious 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. Also, it manages to bestow a proper tribute to the people who rose as heroes. The story is told from the perspective of the medical staff of Bombay General Hospital that worked during that infamous terrorist attack. It stars Mohit Raina, Konkona Sen Sharma, Tina Desai, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Satyajeet Dubey, and others.
7. D.P. (Deserter Pursuit)
OTT Platform: Netflix
Language: Korean
This Korean series beautifully exhibits the culture and working procedure of the Korean military. The latter is known for hazing its junior military officials. Hazing is a different type of bullying that works under some rules and regulations of the military. Just like the armies of some nations, the South Korean military is also known to expel unfit candidates. It tells the tales of two military police officials, Private Ahn Joon-ho and Corporal Han Ho-yul. Both are responsible for catching as many deserters as they can during their service. Their job leads them to some unforgettable journeys.
6. Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story
OTT Platform: Disney+ Hotstar
Language: Hindi
After the suspenseful and action-packed first season, Neeraj Pandey comes back with the origin story of the one and only, Himmat Singh, in this series. Many have considered it a bit of a letdown as compared to the original entry. Still, it is a worthy addition to the Special Ops franchise. Once again, Kay Kay Menon utilizes his wide range of acting skills to charm the viewers. The supporting cast of Aftab Shivdasani, Vinay Pathak, Aadil Khan, Gautami Kapoor, Parmeet Sethi, Kali Prasad Mukherjee, and many more performs amazingly.
5. Kota Factory
OTT Platform: Season 1 (TVF Play and YouTube), Season 2 (Netflix)
Language: Hindi
The sophomore entry delves deep into the tension and stress that thousands of Kota students feel while preparing for the JEE exams. But, it also focuses on the bonds of friendships and loving relationships among the lead characters. The teacher-student duo of Jitendra Kumar and Mayur More impresses us once again. Ahsaas Channa, Alam Khan, Ranjan Raj, Revathi Pillai, and Urvi Singh deliver the much-needed extra flavour to the entire series.
4. Aspirants
OTT Platform: TVF Play and YouTube
Language: Hindi
It is probably the best Hindi-language show of 2021. Even with a total of five episodes, it touches our hearts in the most desi way. We know how hard it is to prepare for the Indian government exams and get the desired employment. Every year, lakhs of Indian students compete in these exams. But only a few of them get their dream job. And UPSC exams are considered the toughest among other govt exams.
The trio of three UPSC aspirants and their struggles to crack the exam are shown flawlessly in the show. The team of Naveen Kasturia, Shivankit Parihar, Abhilash Thapliyal, Sunny Hinduja, and Namita Dubey gave their best. A must-watch!
3. Squid Game
OTT Platform: Netflix
Language: Korean
We don’t think that we have to tell you how awesome this series is. It is the first-ever Korean show to become the most-watched Netflix series globally. Special thanks to Hwang Dong-hyuk for not losing hope on this project despite getting rejected by multiple studios. The collaboration with Netflix aided him to create something unique and extraordinary for binge-watchers. The unpredictability and brutality of the show affect us the most.
A group of 456 people gets summoned to an unknown island, far from the mainland. They are offered to play some childhood games and win billions of Korean won. But soon, they realise that the games are dangerous to play. The losers lose their precious lives. Additionally, their contract binds them to the games, leaving them no choice.
2. Hellbound
OTT Platform: Netflix
Language: Korean
There was another Korean show that turned out to be slightly better than Squid Game. Yes, that show is Hellbound! Train to Busan fame, Yeon Sang-ho, delivers another spectacular horror instalment for his fans with this one. It functions as a perfect blend of fantasy and dark horror. Set in a futuristic South Korea, an otherworldly figure, Angel, starts to prophesise the deaths of people. It releases decrees of their deaths. Things get twisty when three preternatural monsters begin to incinerate the victims at the time of their predicted demise. As a result, cops find it almost impossible to deal with the overall situation. It consists of six episodes.
1. Lupin
OTT Platform: Netflix
Language: French
Sometimes, the viewership and the profits are not required to explain the greatness of a show. Lupin is the epitome of this scenario. Yes, it was not as successful as other Netflix entries dispatched this year. But the mystery thriller excelled in terms of storytelling, plot execution, performances, pacing, and, plot twists. The leading man, Omar Sy, gives an outstanding performance as Assane Diop.
The first part was released in the first month of 2021. On the other hand, the second one saw the daylight in June.