Web series have seen a tremendous rise in 2020 and local and regional content has seen a sudden surge with OTT platforms vying to give them a base that was not possible earlier. The Marathi cinema is filled with great storytellers and actors and here are a few Marathi web series that you must check out for their unique content and performances.
Samantar marked the digital debut of Swapnil Joshi and this MX Player original had one of the most unique themes for any Indian series that have been created recently. Samantar is the story of Kumar Mahajan who is a self-proclaimed atheist but when his best friend Shard insists that they visit a Swami in a small slum area. Kumar Mahajan and his life takes a different turn as he realizes that he may be living someone else’s life. The story goes further from there and every incident reveals a truth that leaves you even more confused with the underlying background of supernatural forces looming in the background.
Streaming on MX Player
Baykola Hava Tari kay
Baykola Hava Tari Kay is a comical tale of a wife who asks god to transform her husband into a dashing and handsome personality but there is a twist. The wife never seems to be entirely satisfied and once she feels that she has had her fair share of living a certain lifestyle she asks god to once again transform her husband. It gets to such a point where even God becomes fed up and is left with one question on his mind. ‘Baykola Hava Tari kay?’. This web series has a veteran cast playing the major lead roles and provides a lot of comic relief while trying to put forward a very important lesson
Streaming on MX Player
Anybody who has been following Marathi Cinema will vouch for the acting talent of Mahesh Manjrekar and Kaale Dhande showcases him in a lead role where he plays the role of a gangster. The story of Kaale Dhande revolves around Vicky who is a photographer in his mid-20s but feels like he is sexually deprived as he comes from a conservative family and cannot have an open conversation about it. His life changes when he finally meets the girl with whom he has been conversing on a dating app and he is caught by his uncle in an intimate act. The uncle then tells this to his family and what follows is chaos and Vicky wanting to exact revenge on his uncle but things just get murkier as things go out of hand. The comic timing of the actors and the writing is refreshing and a great watch.
Streaming on Zee 5
Shaala
Shaala is the story of three school friends and how they constantly battle against all of the issues that are faced as they are growing up even though most of their life at that age is confined to the 4 walls of the school. It is a story that is centered around rural India and how the kids are growing up with the different prejudices and biases that are usually instilled in them. This sweet story shows us the plight as well as the delight of the kids as we get a better understanding of how their minds are shaped. This web series has already got millions of views and people seem to be loving the simple yet effective storytelling it has to offer.
Streaming on YouTube
Struggler Saala
While this isn’t your quintessential web series it most certainly doesn’t fail to bring a smile to your face as it takes a hilarious dig at life and society in general and has starred some of the biggest stars who come as guests on the show. The production budget and setting may not be high but their comic timing and brilliant screen presence more than make up for it. Famous actors like Mahesh Manjrekar have also come on this series for a cameo and if you are simply looking for something which will make you laugh and not demand too much of your patience or knowledge Struggler Saala is the perfect series.
Streaming on YouTube
While the web series are slowly starting to gain prominence, it is a great sight to see some of the local talent getting their fair share of chances to reach a much larger audience than was previously though possible. There is a plethora of unique content in regional cinema and we just have to be willing to take the time to search for it.