The Super 30 of OTT

Various OTT platforms are churning out Originals with increasing frequency today, leaving the viewers spoilt for choices. The growth of regional OTT content has added to the merriment. 

To coincide with Hrithik Roshan starrer, ‘Super 30’, that is a wonderful real life tale of the underdog and the dogged persistence of a solitary teacher, Anand Kumar, in bringing equality through education, Adgully rounds up 30 OTT web series that have left a deep mark on viewers’ minds. 

Game of Thrones (2011-2019) - Hotstar
Number of episodes: 73
Adapted from ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’, George RR Martin’s series of fantasy novels, ‘Game of Thrones’ was one of the most watched series on both TV and digital. The fantasy series follows the lives and battles of powerful noble families in the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos - Lannisters, Starks, Targaryens, Baratheons, Greyjoys, Tyrells, Tullys. Added to this are the horse tribe called Dothrakis. And the dreaded White Walkers, along with three dragons. What’s not to like?

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Delhi Crime (2019) - Netflix
Number of episodes: 7
Based on the gruesome Nirbhaya rape case that shocked the country a few years ago, this crime drama follows a special group of officers investigating the brutal rape case of the girl in a moving bus. With the investigation, they are under immense pressure to nab all the culprits as early as possible. 

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Narcos (2015-present) - Netflix
Number of episodes: 30
‘Narcos’ chronicles the rise of the cocaine trade in Colombia and the gripping real-life stories of drug kingpins of the late ’80s. Also detailed are the actions taken by law enforcement as they battle in the war on drugs, targeting notorious and powerful figures that include drug lord Pablo Escobar. As efforts are made to control cocaine, the many entities involved – legal, political, police, military and civilian – find themselves in conflict.

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Sacred Games (2018) - Netflix
Number of episodes: 8
The gritty thriller marks the OTT debut of Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. When police officer Sartaj Singh receives an anonymous tip about the location of criminal overlord, Ganesh Gaitonde, he embarks on a chase around Mumbai in what becomes a dangerous cat-and-mouse game. After being removed from the Gaitonde case, Singh begins his own investigation as he works to save Mumbai from impending doom.  

Season 2 of ‘Sacred Games’ is launching on August 15, 2019.

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Stranger Things (3 Seasons) - Netflix
Number of episodes: 25 (spread over 3 seasons)
This sci-fi horror web series has captivated audiences across the world, including Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, who admitted to have binged on the 3rd season recently with his kids. 

Set in the fictional rural town of Hawkins, Indiana, during the early 1980s, the series starts with the storyline: ‘When a young boy disappears, his mother, a police chief, and his friends, must confront terrifying forces in order to get him back.’ The series revolves around a group of adolescents racing to save their missing friend from a supernatural entity from an alternate dimension called ‘the Upside Down’ with several terrifying twists and turns.

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Breathe (2018) – Amazon Prime Video
Number of episodes: 8
‘Breathe’ marked actor Madhavan’s entry into the OTT space. This thriller explores the lives of ordinary men faced with extraordinary circumstances. As unconventional Crime Branch officer Kabir puts together the pieces of seemingly unconnected deaths of organ donors, it leads him to an unlikely suspect – affable Danny, who seeks an organ transplant for his dying son, Josh. Kabir becomes determined to do whatever it takes to crack the case and deliver justice for the victims’ loved ones.

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Bose: Dead/ Alive (2017) – ALTBalaji
Number of episodes: 9
The series marked the OTT debuted of actor Rajkummar Rao and is a historical period drama web mini-series based on the book, ‘India’s Biggest Cover-up’, by activist Anuj Dhar. He brokered deals with Hitler, raised an army of Indian prisoners of war, had spies trailing every movement. Years after his “death” in a plane crash, Bose continues to be an enigma who has irked, terrified, and enchanted people for decades.

Trailer Link:

The Test Case (2017-18) – ALTBalaji
Number of episodes: 10
Preparing to be the Indian Army’s first female test case in a combat role, Captain Shikha Sharma will do anything to fit into the male-dominated academy. Will she finally be the Indian Army’s first ever Female Combat Officer? Directed by Vinay Waikul and Nagesh Kukunoor and produced by Endemol Shine India, ‘The Test Case’ stars Nimrat Kaur, Akshay Oberoi, Atul Kulkarni, Rahul Dev and Anup Soni in lead roles along with Juhi Chawla in a guest appearance.

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Ghoul (2018) – Netflix
Number of episodes: 3
Netflix’s second Original, ‘Ghoul’ is a horror web series based on the Arab folklore monster, ghoul. Radhika Apte helms the story, which is set in India in a dystopian future where fascism is at its top. The main plot involves the interrogation of a dreaded terrorist Ali Saeed in a secret government internment camp that ignites a series of horrifying and supernatural events in the aftermath.

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Gullak: Sony LIV
Number Of Episodes: 5 episodes
Gullak’, The Viral Fever’s (TVF) new web-series on SonyLIV, has been winning over viewers with its endearing, slice-of-life look at the lives of middle class Indians.

Trailer Link:

Thinkistan (2019) – MX Player
Number of Episodes: 11
Based in the backdrop of the advertising industry, ‘Thinkistan’ chronicles the contrasting journeys of two copywriters, Hema and Amit and how the lives of people working for an advertising agency become entangled while they look out for ambition and power.

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Little Things (2018) - Netflix
Number of episodes: 13
This mini-series takes us into the lives of Dhruv and Kavya, who have been dating for the last 5 years. After an immensely popular Season 1, the next season is back and has just released on Netflix. Relish and relate to the endless sweet moments experienced by couples in their everyday life with this series. 

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Black Mirror - Netflix
Number of episodes: 22
What makes ‘Black Mirror’ one of the best Netflix series is the tapestry of futuristic and modern-day stand-alone tales that are thrilling, perplexing, crisp and full of satire. Using technology, this best TV show on Netflix showed the source of paranoia, the stories explore the collective anxious state of mind of the world. Each story in every episode of ‘Black Mirror’ features its own cast of prodigious and mystifying characters. The plots for each episode are clever, unique, thought-provoking, insightful, have twists and some stunning endings. 

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13 Reasons Why - Netflix
Number of episodes: 26
This highly controversial series deals with sensitive issues like suicide, rape, sodomy, bullying, etc., in high school. The series follows teenager Clay Jensen in his quest to uncover the story behind his classmate and crush, Hannah, and her decision to end her life.

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Leila (2019) - Netflix
Number of episodes: 6
‘Leila’ is a dystopian drama series directed by Deepa Mehta, Shanker Raman and Pawan Kumar. Based on the 2017 eponymous novel by Prayaag Akbar, ‘Leila’ follows the story of Shalini, who tries to find her missing daughter in a totalitarian regime in the near future. The series is written by Urmi Juvekar and stars Huma Qureshi, Siddharth, Rahul Khanna, Sanjay Sury and Arif Zakaria.

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Mirzapur (2018) – Amazon Prime Video
Number of episodes: 9
Mirzapur is a crime thriller web series, produced by Excel Entertainment. Highly praised by critics, the web series follows the lives of mafia dons and their rivalries in the heartland of Uttar Pradesh.

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Four More Shots Please! - Amazon Prime Video
Number of episodes: 10
Directed by Anu Menon, ‘Four More Shots Please!’ follows the story of four unapologetically flawed women (two in their 30s and two in their early 20s) as they live, love, make mistakes and discover what really makes them tick through friendship and shots of tequila in millennial Mumbai. The series is Amazon Prime Video’s first all women protagonist Indian Original starring Sayani Gupta, Gurbani Judge, Kirti Kulhari and Maanvi Gagroo.

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Made In Heaven (2019) – Amazon Prime Video

Number of episodes: 9

Drama series ‘Made in Heaven’ portrays today’s India as a potent blend of old and new where tradition jostles with modern aspirations against the backdrop of Big Fat Indian Weddings juxtaposed against the story of the two protagonists. It is a telling story about human nature and greater social dynamics in Delhi.

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Vella Raja (2018) – Amazon Prime Video

Number of episodes: 10

Amazon Prime Video premiered the first episode of its Tamil web series on December 7, 2018, and created a social buzz within minutes of its premiere. The racy and gripping thriller is a drug lord Vs cop story. The web series stars Boby Simha and Parvathy Nair in lead roles. The story of Vella Raja is about two men who land in the middle of a hostage crisis while staying at a lodge which happened to be drug criminal Deva’s hiding place.

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Kaali (2018) – ZEE5

Number of episodes: 8

ZEE5 ventured into the Bangla web series space with ‘Kaali’, which stars actress Paoli Dam. The thriller is a story of womanhood, set in the underbelly of Kolkata that takes the viewer on a cliffhanger ride, where a mother has one night to save her son. It is a multi-layered story that has an explosive climax.

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Criminal Justice (2019) - Hotstar

Number of episodes: 10

Adapted from a 2018 British TV series by BBC, ‘Criminal Justice’ is the story of sex, drugs and a gruesome murder. An edgy one night stand turns into a nightmare for cab driver Aditya, when he wakes up with blood on his hands. The evidence is stacked against him, but he doesn’t remember the grisly crime. Is he guilty or not?

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Hostages (2019) - Hotstar

Number of episodes: 10

Yet another adaption from an international show, this time and Israeli series, ‘Hostages’ follows the same storyline. A skilled surgeon, Dr Mira Anand, is caught in a moral dilemma on the eve of an important surgery on the state’s chief minister, when her family is held hostage by four masked. They ask her to kill the chief minister or her family would be killed. Caught in a do-or-die situation, Dr Anand has to make a choice. Will she take a life or save lives?

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Rangbaaz (2018) – ZEE5

Number of episodes: 9

The series shows the journey of a young man, Shree Prakash, from a DDU student to becoming the second most wanted criminal in India. Other characters related to Prakash’s life include Ram Shankar Tiwari (inspired by Hari Shankar Tiwari), and Chandra Bhan Singh inspired by Suraj Bhan Singh (former MP from Mokama, Bihar).

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Untag (2017) - Voot

Number of episodes: 7

Sometimes how you appear is more important than who you are. But then there are those who don’t care about the tags and revel in their own ‘perfect imperfections’. A badass boss and a bunch of creative geniuses in an advertising agency come together to weave a story never told before in Voot Original. It’s time to lose the shame and Untag yourself.

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Apharan (2018) – ALTBalaji

Number of Episodes: 12

Rudra Srivastava, a senior inspector with Uttarakhand police, is lured into kidnapping a young girl at her request. The plot begins as a simple plan to extort money in exchange for her release. When the chain of events go wrong and a series of lies unfold, he realises that he is now a part of a deadly conspiracy. Will he be able to escape the outcome of his choices or become a victim of the web of lies?

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ImMature (2019) – MX Player

Number of Episodes: 5

‘ImMature’ is a drama comedy web series by The Viral Fever. The 5-episode coming of age story depicts the life of a young boy Dhruv, who wants to grow up as soon as he can. Dhruv, with the help of his friends Kabir and Susu, tries to woo his first crush Chhavi, who is a class topper. The series showcases the group of friends growing together as they have their first drink, have their first love, get their hearts broken, and much more. The show is all about the growing up phase and difficulties faced during the same.

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Kaafir (2019) – ZEE5

Number of Episodes: 8

Amidst the sprawling border of India, begins the journey of a young Pakistani mother who comes to India under unusual circumstances and is unable to go back home. The series revolves around the relationship between this woman, accused of militancy, and her lawyer who makes her justice his sole objective. Will his mission and her dream ever come true? Kaafir premiered on June 15, 2019 on ZEE5.

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Hello (3 Seasons; 2017 - 2019) – hoichoi

Number of Episodes: 8 episodes per season

‘Hello’ is one of the top web series of hoichoi. The racy thriller stars Raima Sen as Nandita, who’s world is shattered when she receives an MMS amid Durga Puja festivities, which reveals her husband’s extra-marital affair. As Nandita tries to trace the origin of the MMS, she gets drawn into the murky affair and realises that there is more than her husband’s infidelity involved here.

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Fuh Se Fantasy (2019) – VOOT

Number of Episodes: 9

Unsaid desires. Tabooed fantasies. Saucy role plays – Voot Original, ‘Fuh Se Fantasy’ has them all. From joining the mile-high club to giving in to the cop fantasy, the players unleash their hidden desires.

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Laakhon Mein Ek (2017) – Amazon Prime Video

Number of episodes: 6

Dr Shreya is posted in Sitlapur village to conduct a cataract camp, but challenges begin unfolding one after the other. She keeps fighting the system, but the question remains whether she will change the system or will the system change her?

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