The growth of OTT explosion that happened over the past few years from 2016 in India, is showing no signs of subsiding. With 2018 witnessing a plethora of local original content, 2019 saw the original gambit only gaining momentum.
2020 has just begun and while we are sure to see a lot of great content, we’re already counting days for some gripping and exciting stories that has everything to keep us, content hungry audience, hooked.
Here are six original web series we, at AnimationXpress are really looking forward to this year :
Breathe (season two) – Amazon Prime Video:
Slated for an early 2020 release, Breathe 2 is undoubtedly one of the much awaited series on Amazon Prime Video. After the huge success of Breathe, which is still counted as one of the best web series ever made in India, Amazon decided to bring back the series, but this time, without R. Madhavan.
Starring Abhishek Bachchan in the lead role, Breathe 2 follows the story of a father who decides to take drastic measures to save his dying kid. Additional cast members include – Nithya Menen, Saiyami Kher and Amit Sadh.
Mirzapur (season two) – Amazon Prime Video:
Ever since the inception of Mirzapur first season, it has not stopped creating ripples in terms of powerful and engaging storytelling. After it ended on a cliffhanger, audience have been eagerly waiting for the next series of incidents to unfold.
According to some reports, the shooting for the season two has already completed and continues the story about the power struggle between an overlord and two rookie brothers. Whoever wins, gets control of the city of crimes – Mirzapur.
Featuring strong actors like Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Vikrant Massey, Divyendu Sharma and Rasika Dugal, we might be treated by yet another masterpiece by Amazon Prime Video.
Baahubali: Before the Beginning – Netflix :
Baahubali franchise is one of the most popular films that has gone to become a legend in the Indian film industry. Its characters are household names in India. Among the, Rani Shivgami Devi, mother of Bhallaldev and Baahubali, (played by Ramya Krishnan) has made a strong impact. She is a strong woman who successfully took control of the empire at the time of crisis and has a great sense of justice.
Owing to its popularity, streaming powerhouse, Netflix has decided to create a web series on her life. It is a prequel to Baahubali series and will follow the life journey of Shivagami Devi from being a defiant girl to becoming a wise queen rising above all the challenges she faces in between.
Besides Krishnan, the cast has the likes of Snigdha Akolkar, Bijay Anand, Mrunal Thakur. Baahubali: Before the Beginning is expected to stream in January 2020.
Tribhanga – Netflix :
Set in Mumbai, Tribhanga finds Bollywood actress Kajol foraying into the OTT world and Ajay Devgn (Ajay Devgn Ffilms) debuting as the producer for a web series. Tribhanga is an Odissi dance pose that is disjointed and asymmetrical, yet mesmerizing and beautiful, so much like the lives of the three women. Tribhanga, thus narrates a complex tale that goes to and fro through three generations of the same family, from the late 1980s until today.
The film is written and directed by veteran actress Renuka Shahane. Lately, Kajol took to social media to announce to have wrapped up shooting for the same. The series also stars Tanvi Azmi and Mithila Palkar in lead roles.
Code M – ZEE5 and ALT Balaji :
ZEE5 and ALT Balaji had a highly successful 2019 with its originals gaining appreciation from audience and critics alike. One of its upcoming original web series is Code M that revolves around an Indian Army lawyer, Monica Mehra (played by Jennifer Winget), who comes to know about an uncomfortable truth while investigating a case of a militant encounter.
The truth is bombarding enough to expose a secret so explosive that shakes up the entire Indian Army. Debuting in the digital space with her first web series, Winget will be sharing the screen space with Tanuj Virwani, Rajat Kapoor and Seema Biswas in ALTBalaji’s courtroom drama.
Mentalhood – ZEE5 and ALT Balaji :
Parenting is an uphill task and Mentalhood will portray the topsy-turvy ride of different kinds of mothers, their struggles and how they manage their way through unreasonable expectations to raise their children. How multitasking becomes a habit and constant worrying and guilt gets imbibed in their nature forms the crux of the show.
The series will also mark the digital debut of the popular Bollywood actress Karisma Kapoor along with a bunch of talented other actors like Shilpa Shukla, Sandhya Mridul, Tillotama Shome, Shruti Seth, Dino Morea, Sanjay Suri amongst others.
I’m sure that the list is only going to get bigger and bigger with time! Ready to binge watch, folks?