Netflix India last had a certified hit in March 2019, when the streaming giant premiered the acclaimed “Delhi Crime”. Before that, it had the super successful “Sacred Games”. Post these two hits, Netflix’s mantra for success simply vanished into nowhere. Dud after dud dropped on the platform. Netflix received viewers’ flak for its poor choice of content, as most of its Indian originals flopped spectacularly.
A few, such as Lust Stories and Hasmukh, received mixed reviews; but almost all were panned by critics and audiences alike. Meanwhile, Amazon Prime Video—its primary competitor in the Indian market—ran away with all the accolades, on the back of hit after hit. Mirzapur, The Family Man, Made In Heaven, Paatal Lok, Bandish Bandits, Panchayat, Inside Edge – the list is long and luminous.
Note that we are only talking about the Original content commissioned and created by these streaming platforms. We are not taking into consideration the direct to digital film releases grabbed by streamers in the pandemic period—though even there, Netflix’s trajectory is full of poor choices.
But looks like, all that is about to change. With the impending anthology film Navarasa, Netflix has the best chance to turn the tide of mediocre Indian Original offerings and please its subscribers no end. It is obvious that Navarasa has a lot going for it. Given the buzz surrounding the anthology, Netflix seems to have a sure shot winner on its hands.
For one, the anthology is presented by maestro Mani Ratnam and writer-filmmaker Jayendra Panchapakesan. Both stalwarts have a finger on the pulse of what audiences want to watch. Second is the presence of very popular Tamil star, Suriya, in one of the short films, “Guitar Kambi Mele Nindru”. The film brings together the tested combination of Suriya and Gautham Menon. Suriya’s legion of fans are already salivating at the prospect of watching their favourite hero in an unconventional love story.
The premise is interesting. It is based on the nine emotions or “rasas” that make up human beings. Each short film in the anthology will depict one emotion, and each will be helmed by a stellar director. The nine acclaimed directors lending their incredible vision and distinctive perspective on each rasa are Arvind Swami, Bejoy Nambiar, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Karthick Naren, Karthik Subbaraj, Priyadarshan, Rathindran Prasad, Sarjun and Vasanth Sai. The cast is stunning – Suriya, Siddharth, Vijay Sethupathi, Prakash Raj, Revathi, Yogi Babu, Gautham Menon, Aditi Balan, Arvind Swamy, among others. The short teaser that featured these accomplished actors in their various moods was terrific, compelling and infinitely intriguing.
One thing is certain – Navarasa is going to be an epic dive into the nuances of human emotions – all nine of them.
The stellar directors and actors will make sure of that!
And Netflix will finally break its two-year jinx of flops!