The 10 best Indian original series to watch on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video
The 10 best Indian original series to watch on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video
1. Sacred Games
This Saif Ali Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte, and Kalki Koechlin starrer Netflix original is probably the best Indian original series to watch. If you haven’t already seen Sacred Games, it’s about time you do.
The storyline of the show revolves around an imminent terror attack in Mumbai, masterminded by gangster Ganesh Gaitonde (Siddiqui). It’s up to police officer Sartaj Singh (Khan) to stop the city from blowing up in 25 days. Only, he doesn’t know where to starts and how deep the conspiracy runs.
You have two seasons of this fast-paced thriller to go through. The mystery pretty much unravels in this timeline, which is why Netflix is probably not looking to renew the series for a third installment. Did we mention it’s based on a novel by the same name?
2. Delhi Crime
Based on one of the most shocking and heart-wrenching rape incidents in India’s capital city of New Delhi, this seven-part series will shake you to the very core. Delhi Crime chronicles what’s commonly referred to as the Nirbhaya rape case in India. The incident had even received immense international attention at the time because of the gruesome nature of the crime. However, most media reports were focussed on the victim and the incident alone.
Filmmaker Richie Mehta takes viewers behind the scenes of the investigation into the case conducted by the Delhi Police. The series navigates through the bureaucratic pressures, political influences, and lack of resources faced by the Delhi Police during the investigation period.
3. Leila
The first dystopian Indian original series, Leila has a helluva lot in common with the Hulu original show The Handmaid’s Tale. While the series isn’t a blatant copy of the brilliant Hulu dystopian drama, it borrows several elements from it. If you watch both the shows, you will be able to spot them immediately.
4. Breathe
Another Amazon Prime Video Indian original series, Breathe is the story of love and desperation. A father will go to any extent, even to the point of murdering people, to save his son. Sounds all too familiar? Yeah well, it is the plot of multiple Hollywood films, including the famous Denzel Washington starrer John Q.
The protagonist in Breathe, Danny (R Madhavan), finds out that his son Josh is terminal and in need of a transplant. He then devises a plan to get Josh’s name on top of the organ donor list, but his methods are not as conventional as you might think. Danny’s troubles worsen when he finds himself the subject of a police investigation, one he desperately wanted to avoid.
Breathe might not be in the same league as some of the shows in this list, but it’s definitely worth the watch just for Madhavan’s impressive screen presence and a fast-paced storyline.
5. Mirzapur
Some may find Mirzapur too crass for their taste, but it’s one of the most entertaining Indian original series to date. Great performances by Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, and Vikrant Massey are a definite plus for those looking to binge-watch this crime thriller.
6. Paatal Lok
An assassination attempt on a veteran journalist sparks a nail-biting police investigation that traverses cities, religion, politics, and gender discrimination. Pataal Lok is fueled by brilliant performances across the board from actors like Jaideep Ahlawat, Neeraj Kabi, Abhishek Banerjee, and others. The Indian original TV series on Amazon Prime Video is co-produced by Anushka Sharma and pieces together a thrilling tale that’s hard to forget.
7. Jamtara
Jamtara is an Indian original Netflix series inspired by true events. It’s a thrilling journey into the village of Jamtara in Jharkhand, which turns out to be India’s phishing capital. Cousins, Sunny and Rocky, along with their friends, quietly run a successful phishing scam from the village. Their operations are soon noticed by a criminal mastermind who wants a piece of the action. The cops too are on their trail and things get wildly intense as tensions increase and lives are threatened.
8. Stories By Rabindranath Tagore
This 2015 Indian original show is based on a collection of short stories authored by Bengali writer and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. The 26-part series is directed by Anurag Basu and aesthetically depicts the shortcomings of Indian culture wrapped up in Tagor’s progressive storytelling. Women characters are the focus of this series, as they were in Tagore’s timeless classics. The show is set in Bengal of the 1920s, a time when gender equality was an alien concept. However, Tagore’s strong female characters defy all odds and emerge as risk-takers.
9. Ghoul
Another Netflix nail-bitter Indian original, the Ghoul deals with the themes of supernatural horror, military activism, and Arabic folklore. The three-part series will spook you, to say the least.
Radhika Apte is one of the key characters of the series. She plays a military officer who has to interrogate a terrorist possessed by the Ghoul, Arabic for an evil spirit. As the demon gains strength, all hell breaks loose at the military facility where the terrorist is retrained. Who will survive the wrath of the Ghoul? You’ll have to watch and find out.
10. Selection Day
Selection Day is an ocean of fantastic performances by the likes of Ratna Pathak Shah, Mahesh Manjrekar, Rajesh Tailang, and the two young stars of the series, Mohammad Samad and Yash Dholye. It follows the story of two small-town teenage boys Manju (Samad) and Radha (Dholye) who aspire to become international cricketers. Their father (Tailang) is a strict taskmaster and their coach. The boys score a scholarship to a prestigious sports school run by Pathak and things start to change.
So those are the best Indian original streaming shows you can catch on Netflix and Amazon Prime. Remember, you’ll have to subscribe to the streaming services in order to watch the shows on this list.
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