It’s 2020. The world is in the grip of the raging Coronavirus. The Indian digital space is on fire. We’re just four months into the year, and already, Indian OTT has seen a deluge of high quality, highly engaging, well made and wholly Indian web series – Asur, Paatal Lok, Pushpavalli S2, State Under Siege 26/11, Special Ops, Panchayat, Bhaukal, Hundred, Afsos……phew, this list of the best Indian web series until now seems to be endless.
What’s more, these shows by themselves deserve a place in the top ten lists of best web shows for the entire year, let alone a few months. Heck, it sure is gonna be a difficult task to draw up the mandatory list of top Indian web series of the year when December 2020 comes around.
In this deluge of superbly made Indian web series, Binged.com rounds up a list of web series that were highly appreciated when they first released, became hits among Indian viewers and then faded into our memories without a new season in sight. But if there are any web series that deserve another season, it is these-
The Test Case, ALTBalaji
The Test Case tells the story of Captain Shikha Sharma (Nimrat Kaur), the first Indian woman to be recruited for a combat role in the Special Forces Unit of the Indian army. Trudging forward with determination, the Haryanvi girl has to fight toxic masculinity, misogyny and even sexual assault to prove her worth. Powerful performances by Nimrat and Atul Kulkarni, and a fine negative turn by Juhi Chawla make The Test Case a riveting watch.
India’s answer to Mad Men, Thinkistan is a compelling take on the big bad and barely understood world of Indian advertising. With a superb ensemble cast comprising some of the best actors we have today, and two former top ad-men helming the series as showrunner, writer and director, Thinkistan delves deep into the merry machinations of the Indian advertising industry. Stellar acts by Satyadeep Mishra, Mandira Bedi, Naveen Kasturia and Shravan Reddy, and a fast-paced, gripping plot add the proverbial icing on the cake. After two seasons in quick succession, and a cliffhanger ending to Season 2, there’s no word on a new season of Thinkistan.
Yeh Meri Family, The Viral Fever
Steeped in the heady and sweetly potent magic of nostalgia, Yeh Meri Family is an ode to the naïve nineties, when adolescents still behaved their age, and love for family ruled supreme. It is a show that makes one feel all the feels and takes you back to the gloriously laid-back times of yore. The casting was spot on, with Mona Singh and Akarsh Khurana playing hassled though loving parents to three precocious kids. The main protagonist, 13-year old middle kid Harshu (Vishesh Bansal), is the real jewel in the series. Fans of the show have demanded a second season of Yeh Meri Family for long, but looks like TVF aren’t complying.
Another gem from the guys at The Viral Fever, Kota Factory has achieved cult status amongst fans of great content. Made entirely in black and white, the series casts a part grave, part humorous take on the travails of youngsters who are compelled to go through the grind of IIT prepping in the otherwise nondescript city of Kota, the Mecca of IIT prep. The series will always be remembered for Jeetu Bhaiya’s (Jeetendra Kumar) affecting monologue, headlined by the famous lines – “Bacche do saal mein Kota se nikal jaate hain, Kota saalon tak bacchon se nahi nikalta”. In fact, each of Jeetendra Kumar’s dialogues sears through the viewers’ minds and leaves a lasting impact, just like the show itself.
Pitchers, The Viral Fever
Released way back in 2015, Pitchers encapsulated the feelings and sentiments of the young, hopeful population of an India that had just begun to embrace the new wave of start-up culture. It spoke at a visceral level to every engineer who had ever dreamt of chucking a lacklustre job and launching their own start-up. TVF regulars Naveen Kasturia, Jeetendra Kumar, Arunabh Kumar and Abhay Mahajan played a bunch of engineers who give up their jobs and dive wholeheartedly into making their start-up a success. The series is so relatable that viewers feel every nuance, every setback and every joy of the four start-up founders. Clamour for Pitchers Season 2 has reached a crescendo, but the TVF guys are just not biting.
Zero Kms, ZEE5
The first Indian web series to use the verdant greenery and vicious crime scene of Goa as its setting, Zero Kms is an edgy and fear-inspiring series, created by Q, aka Qaushiq Mukherjee, the wildly talented director, with an equally gifted penchant for making movies that are savagely bold and unapologetically in-your-face. The series Zero Kms flirts with the dark, dangerous world of human trafficking, and in a decidedly stark manner. Featuring the delectable duo of Naseeruddin Shah and Satyadeep Mishra, besides an interesting cast, Zero Kms is that rare and riveting Indian web series that certainly deserves to be revived for a Season 2.
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