Foreign shows getting official adaptations in India is not a new phenomenon. In fact, it has fetched some encouraging outcomes for the Indian small screen industry in the past. Right from Anil Kapoor’s official Indian adaptation of the superhit American TV show ‘24’ to some OTT web series like Netflix’s ‘Rana Naidu’ (adapted from crime drama series ‘Ray Donovan’) and Amazon Prime Video’s ‘Modern Love: Mumbai’ and ‘Modern Love: Hyderabad’ (adapted from the American romantic anthology show).
But there is one Netflix science fiction series which has the potential to turn around the Indian OTT landscape for the OTT giant in a big way. We are talking about the Netflix anthology series ‘Black Mirror’, whose sixth season is set to start streaming from next month.
‘Black Mirror’ adaptation for Netflix India is undoubtedly a double-edged sword but despite the risk, it has the potential to pay rich dividends for the streaming giant in the Indian OTT space. Firstly because ‘Black Mirror’ has a niche yet cult following by a segment of Indian OTT audiences. Secondly, there is no other show like ‘Black Mirror’ being offered by any other Indian OTT platform.
When Anil Kapoor was making ‘24’ more than a decade back, many people thought that this kind of a show won’t click with Indian viewers, who were used to watching melodramatic soap operas at that time. But ‘24’ turned out to be a well-crafted thriller and was received well by many critics and audiences.
In a way, ‘24’ altered and elevated the way Indians consumed small screen content. Anil Kapoor’s bold move was an excellent starting point for the Indian television industry. The show was a much needed turning point for the Indian TV industry. If ‘24’ changed the course of Indian television in 2013, then why can’t Netflix do that in 2023 (with ‘Black Mirror’ Indian adaptation) when Indians are blessed with much more exposure to quality entertainment content on myriad streaming platforms.
Moreover, there is no dearth of talented filmmakers in India who could write and direct an Indian version of the ‘Black Mirror’ sci-fi series. There is Anurag Kashyap, who has recently directed a sci-fi film ‘Blurr’ (adapted from Spanish film ‘Mirage’). Besides, we have Ayan Mukherji, Nag Ashwin, Dibakar Banerjee, Vikramaditya Motwane, Shankar, and many others who can do wonders in the Indian sci-fi space.
For now, we can just hope that Netflix seriously thinks about creating a ‘Black Mirror’ series set in India, made by Indian filmmakers, and featuring our favourite stars. ‘Black Mirror’ could potentially do what ‘24’ did in the last decade. Netflix, the ball is in your court now. Please make it happen!
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