All of a sudden, July has become the spotlight month for Netflix and its Indian operations. That is because this July seems to be the month with the most number of Indian Originals releasing on Netflix ever. There are not one, not two, but four shows and movies from India that are gearing up for release on Netflix in July.
And we’re not talking of the numerous Indian films that Netflix has picked up post-theatrical streaming rights for. At least 10-12 of those will also stream on Netflix in July, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films.
The first India-centric content to release on Netflix in July is ‘Ranveer vs Wild with Bear Grylls‘. The interactive special episode will premiere on Netflix on July 8. Though it is not an Indian Original per se, it is still wholly Indian in heart and soul. Bollywood star Ranveer Singh will slug it out in the wild outdoors with Bear Grylls. Since it is interactive, the viewer can decide what Ranveer does next in a particular situation.
The next Indian Original on Netflix this month is the magic-based sports drama, ‘Jaadugar’. The film stars Jitendra Kumar as a small-time magician, who must win the local football tournament to win his lady love. The movie comes from erstwhile members of The Viral Fever, Sameer Saxena and Biswapati Sarkar. Jaadugar premieres on Netflix on July 15.
The third Indian Original to premiere on Netflix this July is the true-crime documentary series, ‘Indian Predator: The Butcher Of Delhi’. It is the story of an unhinged killer who carries out horrifying serial killings that rock the city of Delhi. He dumps the mutilated bodies of his victims outside a Delhi jail, along with taunting notes left for the police. How the police hunt him down in a precise, relentless operation forms the crux of the series. Indian Predator: The Butcher Of Delhi tries to go into the mind of the serial-killer to understand its innermost workings. The series is directed by Ayesha Sood, Umesh Kulkarni, Ashwin Shetty and Dheeraj Jindal, and produced by Vice Media, in association with India Today. Indian Predator: The Butcher Of Delhi premieres on Netflix on July 20.
Finally, premiering this month on Netflix is the second season of ‘Masaba Masaba’, a series that centres on Masaba Gupta, one of India’s top fashion designers, and the daughter of actress Neena Gupta and West Indian cricket legend Vivian Richards. Masaba Masaba Season 2 will premiere on Netflix on July 29.
While Netflix has an Indian Original or two premiering every month on the platform, this is probably the first time that four Indian Originals will premiere on Netflix in a single month. A sign of the times to come?