BizAsia 2019 Reflections: Five must-see web-series of the year

2019 has definitely been another year that Indian entertainment have shown that web-content really does matter. It not only allows for films from the industry to reach a wider audience whether they’ve released in the cinema or not but there’s now also focus on web-series which the audiences are lapping up.

BizAsiaLive.com looks back at the year’s best digital shows which wowed the audiences.

‘Made in Heaven’
Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Alankrita Shrivastava, Nitya Mehra and Prashant Nair came together as writers and directors to make ‘Made in Heaven’. This series can easily be described as one of the most path-breaking shows to come out of India, of all time. Arjun Mathur and Sobhita Dhulipala took on the main roles of wedding planners and absolutely shone all through. Each episode seemed to throw a mirror on Indian society and its so-called conventions. The nuanced and highly layered show is definitely one to watch for those who haven’t seen it yet, especially as season two is on its way soon.

‘Delhi Crime’
This Richie Mehta directorial was a difficult watch to say the least but ‘Delhi Crime’ was shot so beautifully that the viewer felt the tension and depth of the situation emerging but wasn’t able to stop watching the show. Shefali Shah is the perfect protagonist who is both strong, resolute and soft in places. She is joined by the ever popular Rasika Dugal, Adil Hussain and others in this rendition based on the true events of the Nirbhaya story which shook the world back in 2012.

‘Hostages’
Although ‘Hostages’ was a Hindi adaptation of an Israeli series, it seemed to fit the Indian backdrop amazingly. It was to be said that this thriller and suspense had a cast which complimented the plot at every point. Ronit Roy’s negative shades are such an alluring watch, especially as he’s humanised through the back story of his character. Tisca Chopra plays a doctor whose family gets caught up in the hostage situation and, as always, she totally sucks the audience in with her performance. Aside from this, stellar performances from Aashim Gulati, Parvin Dabas and others bring the entire series together with great impact.

‘The Family Man’
Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK direct this Manoj Bajpayee headliner, ‘The Family Man’. The actor marked his web debut with this series and what a performance he gave. Bajpayee is always great in pretty much everything he does but in this series he seems to excel himself, playing an undercover agent and someone with a family who don’t know of his real profession. With Priyamani playing his wife and others in the cast including Sharib Hashmi and Neeraj Madhav to name a few, this series was an enticing watch and a second season is due soon.

‘Little Things 3’
After a hugely successful two seasons, the third season of Dice Media’s ‘Little Things’ comes with its own challenges for the couple played by the ever so talented Dhruv Sehgal and Mithila Palkar. They look at the concept of a long term relationship and how they get through these months in their years together. The USP of this show is undoubtedly that the performances by Sehgal and Palkar are so effortless that it make you think you’ve actually a fly on the wall in their real lives, rather than watching a reel series.

As always, there are some which don’t make our final cut but deserve a special mention. The first of these is ‘Four More Shots Please!’ which starred Sayani Gupta, Kirti Kulhari, Bani J and Maanvi Gagroo, directed by Anu Menon. The show can be compared with ‘Sex and the City’ and also has glimpses of ‘Veere Di Wedding’ (2018) but it stands strong in itself as a great modern take on Indian women today.

‘Fittrat’ also deserves a special mention because it really keeps you engaged as a viewer. Krystle D’Souza plays a gold-digger who sees many twists and turns to tries to get to her goal. The show is also fronted by Aditya Seal and Anushka Ranjan who are absolutely great additions to the cast. The show is definitely containing of all the elements of a popular show and the snappy episodes do it many favours. The slick and stylish feel of the show makes it a must-watch.

Finally, the last one that deserves a mention is Rasika Dugal and Purab Kohli starrer ‘Out of Love’, the official Hindi remake of BBC’s ‘Doctor Foster’ which did exceedingly well. It is adapted well to suit the Hindi audiences and manages to bring out some amazing performances through Tigmanshu Dhulia and Aijaz Khan’s directorship.

Keep it with BizAsiaLive.com for more 2019 reflections.