Regular readers of Binged will recall that we’d reported in January this year about Netflix’s ‘BIG’ announcement – four big ticket Netflix Original Films from four big ticket Indian directors – Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Karan Johar and Dibakar Banerjee.
Two of those movies are already out on Netflix, as you may know – both well-received by viewers. They are Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Choked’ and Vikramaditya Motwane’s recent ‘AK Vs AK’.
Now, only Karan Johar’s ‘The Other’ and Dibakar Banerjee’s ‘Freedom’ remain from the original January slate. Of course, this is over and above the new slate of shows and movies Netflix had announced in July 2020. Most of the content from that announcement – 18 titles in all – have been released, with only a few remaining.
Coming back to Karan Johar’s Netflix Original, it is titled ‘The Other’. Stars that are already in the lineup include Shefali Shah (Delhi Crime), Manav Kaul (State Vs Nanavati, Jolly LLB 2), Nusrat Bharucha (Dream Girl, Chhalaang), Fatima Sana Shaikh (Dangal, Ludo) and Jaideep Ahlawat (Paatal Lok). The rest of the cast hasn’t been revealed yet. Karan Johar’s film is again an anthology of four films, same as his earlier Netflix offerings, Lust Stories and Ghost Stories. This time however, the directors of the four films have been kept under tight wraps – none outside the Dharmatic team knows the identity of the four directors.
We do know the core premise of the anthology, though. As per a statement released by Dharmatic, Karan Johar’s The Other will consist of four short films that will “showcase completely different facets of the ‘other’ angle. Shedding light on relationships and their complexities, The Other signifies the third person in a relationship — the one who breaks it, or, maybe even completes it. It is a film that delves into the various complexities of human relationships.”
The Other has been in production since late 2019 – early 2020. As per our estimates, it should most likely release on Netflix in the first quarter of 2021. That is, Covid-19 permitting.
Dibakar Banerjee’s ‘Freedom’ is a dark drama, headlined by Naseeruddin Shah, Manisha Koirala, Huma Qureshi, Kalki Koechlin, Divya Dutta, Zoya Husain, Shashank Arora and Neeraj Kabi.
So here’s looking forward to the New Year and new Indian offerings from Netflix!