2020 can rightly be called the year when the Indian web entertainment space truly came of age. Indian OTT entertainment has exploded into a throbbing, pulsating entity, with its own distinct character, complexion, and must we say, clout.
As the flourishing Indian digital space burgeoned into a prodigious actuality in recent times, 2020 will be seen as a particularly great year for OTT content. It has witnessed the release of an impressive assortment of shows that straddled diverse genres and remarkable storylines. Digital audiences have been treated to crime chronicles, comic capers, mafia memoirs, erotic escapades, and even hair-raising horror dramas thrown in for good measure.
This year has seen the release of scintillating shows on streaming platforms, each one better than the next. Thus, the task of choosing the Top Ten Web Series Of 2020 is a tough one for sure.
Yet, here we are with the next Binged Yearender –
The Top Ten Web Series Of 2020 –
10. Jamtara
Platform: Netflix
Netflix’s Jamtara has a unique and refreshing story at its core. It documents the real story of the flourishing phishing industry set in the tiny dusty town of Jamtara in Jharkhand. A bunch of Jamtara youngsters dupe big city folk into parting with their credit card details on flimsy grounds, and then siphon off their savings within minutes of getting the details. Things turn difficult for the gang when, on the one hand, the local don wants a slice of the pie; while on the other, the police slowly closes in on them.
9. Illegal
Platform: Voot Select
Voot Select’s Illegal takes a hard, harsh look at the Indian legal system through the eyes of a young upcoming lawyer, Neharika Singh. Two high-profile cases form the crux of the story – a 15-year case of a woman on death row, which Neharika has to fight pro bono. And another, current one, involving the rape of her colleague at her previous law firm. The cases bring to the fore the stark realities of the judicial system (and justice) like no other.
8. Aarya
Platform: Disney Plus Hotstar
Aarya marked the return to showbiz of Bollywood diva and former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen. Sen plays a widowed mother of three who takes on the big bad world of the illegal drug trade after the death of her husband. In doing so, she storms every male bastion, turning into a tigress to protect her kids from harm. The slow-burn style of storytelling lends gravitas and panache to the series.
7. Mirzapur 2
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Mirzapur 2 was easily one of the most-awaited sequels of an Indian web show, after the stupendous success of its predecessor Mirzapur. Steeped in the testosterone-fuelled, violence-driven world of Mirzapur, the show brought back popular characters such as Kaleen Bhaiya, Guddu Pandit, Munna Tripathi, and spawned new lynch-pins Beena Bhabhi, Golu and Chief Minister Madhuri. The sequel turned out to be as entertaining and gripping as the original.
6. Panchayat
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Panchayat captures the spirit of the heartland of Uttar Pradesh with all its quirks. The homegrown flavour of Panchayat adds to its allure. This show is an interesting tweak to the Swades universe – where an urban-bred youngster discovers his country’s roots the hard way. It imaginatively casts a light on the struggles of a millennial in coming to terms with rural politics and man-management. Jeetendra Kumar shines in this TVF series.
5. Special Ops
Platform: Disney Plus Hotstar
Special Ops offers an intimate glance into the world of Indian Intelligence, the edgy, thankless lives of intelligence officers, often fraught with danger and how their contributions have remained invaluable in keeping terrorists at bay. Through the protagonist Himmat Singh, the show traces the journey of his team of specialised officers, in nabbing the mastermind behind six terror attacks over two decades, Hafiz Ali. The show is directed by Neeraj Pandey, the uncrowned King of spy dramas in the Indian entertainment space.
4. Paatal Lok
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
An impending attack on a top-rated journalist is foiled. Inspector Hathiram Choudhary is tasked with getting to the bottom of the case. As the story progresses, it unravels the underlying realities in the country – where the idea of justice is skewed, subjective, and varies from land to land. On a deeper level, Paatal Lok is an exploration of the human psyche, while also mirroring the various issues that the country is grappling with – religious extremism, gender sensitivity, caste-based violence, media accountability to name a few.
3. Asur
Platform: Voot Select
A series of gruesome murders has set the law and order machinery on edge. Forensic expert Nikhil Nair is called in to investigate the serial murders. As Nair delves into the murders, along with his junior, he is stunned by the reality and the delusional mindset of the serial killer, who fails to get a hang of the thin line between myth and reality. It is a compelling story of myth, science, and investigation, narrated with rootedness and a great eye for detailing.
2. State Of Siege 26/11
Platform: ZEE5
State State of Siege 26/11 chronicles the horrifying terror attacks on Mumbai on 26th November 2008, narrated from the perspective of the courageous counter-attack by India’s elite NSG Commandos. The show focuses on the counter-attack of the NSG bravehearts, the planning that went into the operation, and its actual execution. It is a fast-paced, slickly produced, superbly told story of courage and conviction.
1. Scam 1992
Platform: SonyLIV
The top position in our list of Top Ten Web Series Of 2020 is most definitely deserved by SonyLIV’s Scam 1992. The show tells the story of the biggest stock market scam in India, the stock market scam of 1992, orchestrated by Big Bull Harshad Mehta. The series is based on Sucheta Dalal and Debashis Basu’s tell-all book, The Scam. It traces the spectacular rise and crushing fall of Harshad Mehta. Director Hansal Mehta has woven a gripping, immersive narrative, ably reproduced on screen by the astonishing performance of Pratik Gandhi as Harshad Mehta.
That then was our list of the Top Ten Web Series Of 2020. Here’s to the world of streaming and a scintillating slate of shows and series in 2021 across platforms!