The first month of 2026 is already over, and of course, there were interesting titles on Netflix India. But how were they? Before we get to the analysis, let’s have a look at the list of titles that were released on the platform.
Licensed Films
Haq, De De Pyaar De 2, Akhanda 2: Thaandavam, Tere Ishk Mein, Champion, Dhurandhar
Original Series
Taskaree: A Smuggler’s Web
Analysis
Before anything else, let’s acknowledge the fact that there was no original film in the month of January 2026. This is really sad because Netflix India could not bring any original movies for its subscribers this month.
Talking about licensed films, it began with Haq. Haq is a very popular movie starring Yami Gautam that immediately became an international sensation. Yes, we mean it, international sensation. Because of its religious themes that got quite some attention in India, it also got a very positive response from Muslim countries like Pakistan and a lot of African countries. It was quite unexpected that an Indian film, which is so rooted in the political scenario of India will become so popular across borders. It was a well-made movie, and the reception was really good, to say the least.
The second film we can talk about is De De Pyaar De 2, which featured Ajay Devgn and Rakul Preet Singh in key roles. The film focused on the age gap between the couple, and audiences did not particularly like it during its theatrical run. However, due to the presence of big stars, it managed to get decent viewership on Netflix. While it was not extraordinary by any means, the film performed reasonably well on OTT.
Next up was Akhanda 2, starring Nandamuri Balakrishna. The star needs no introduction, and the film turned out to be a big hit on the big screen. The success continued on Netflix as well, where it attracted a large audience. That said, the film also faced heavy criticism for its exaggerated style of direction. Many felt that everything in the movie was overly dramatic and caricaturish, which led to mixed reactions among viewers on OTT.
The next film is Tere Ishq Mein, starring Dhanush and Kriti Sanon. The movie is a spiritual successor to Raanjhanaa, and while it did not achieve the same level of success as the earlier film, Tere Ishq Mein was received fairly well in theatres. Its real success, however, came after its OTT release. The film became a massive hit on streaming platforms, with strong viewership numbers, and audiences thoroughly enjoyed it.
The next big release was Champion, a Telugu film starring Roshan Meka and Anaswara Rajan in the lead roles. The film turned out to be a massive failure at the box office, and the OTT response was not kind either. In fact, it was heavily trolled after its digital release and failed to attract significant viewership. As a result, Champion ended up being a flop across both theatrical and OTT platforms.
The real banger of the month, however, was Dhurandhar. It is widely regarded as the biggest hit in Hindi cinema in a long, long time, and audiences across India were eager to watch the film. One major miss from Aditya Dhar was the decision not to release the film with Telugu and Tamil audio versions in theatres. However, when the film arrived on Netflix, the makers ensured that it was dubbed in both Telugu and Tamil.
This decision paid off massively. Dhurandhar went on to record an extraordinary debut on Netflix India, becoming the most-watched film in its opening weekend with 7 million views. No other film has achieved this milestone so far, making the feat all the more remarkable. While high expectations were always there, setting a new record still came as a surprise. Although Dhurandhar 2 will not stream on Netflix India, the platform is expected to see renewed interest in the first film when the sequel hits theatres.
Next up is the original series titled Taskaree: A Smuggler’s Web.
The series stars Emran Hashmi in the lead role and received mixed reactions across various news portals. In fact, it was far from being a truly good series. While it had its moments, overall it was not a very engaging watch. Despite this, the show turned out to be an incredible hit and became the biggest success Netflix India has seen so far.
The series drew such massive viewership that it debuted at number one globally in its first week among all non-English releases. It even surpassed the record previously set by Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar. This performance is nothing short of remarkable, and it strongly suggests that a second season may be on the way.
That said, the success can largely be credited to the star factor. The series itself had the potential to be much better than what it eventually turned out to be. Despite the criticism, Netflix India seems more focused on the numbers, and the audience response clearly worked in its favour. In the end, it is a win win situation for the platform. While the next season has not yet been officially announced, it seems almost certain that Netflix will continue the story.
Due to big hits like Taskaree and Dhurandhar, Netflix India deserves a 7/10 for its slate in January 2026. However, we missed an original film.