Netflix and India don’t really have the best of relations, especially in terms of advertising to a global audience. You can just refer to the Heeramandi phenomenon where, despite Netflix’s attempts to introduce it to the global audience, it fails.
However, there are two films currently ruling the Netflix Global Chart. In the Films (Non-English) category, Shaitaan and Laapataa Ladies are dominating the OTT space.
To make a solid case for Shaitaan, it was already a big hit in theaters. Though it was hit by allegations of being a remake, the film was nothing short of a wonder, offering a new taste for the audience. Shaitaan has been streaming on Netflix since May 4th, and despite being a theatrical hit, people are supporting it on the OTT space as well.
The film debuted with 3.2 million views and held the fourth spot, but its second-week run resulted in exponential growth. In the May 6th – May 12th slot, its first full week run, the views grew to 6.6 million, reaching the second spot.
On the other hand, Laapataa Ladies is living the story of an underdog. It started streaming on April 26th, and its first week resulted in a viewership of 2.2 million. But in the following weeks, the views increased, with week 2 having 5.6 million views and week 3 followed up by 3.4 million.
Obviously, in the upcoming weeks, the views will drop, but for such a small-budget film like Laapataa Ladies to dominate the statistics, it is definitely a positive thing for the industry. Shaitaan will possibly remain popular for a longer period, but both Indian films will definitely attract a global audience if advertised correctly.