Leading streaming platform Netflix unveiled its upcoming slate for India that features over 22 projects, including Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s debut streaming show ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, Imtiaz Ali’s ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’, and Oscar-nominated documentary ‘To Kill A Tiger’.
The slate, which was announced in Mumbai at a star-studded event called ‘Next on Netflix’, features a mix of movies, web series, unscripted shows, and documentaries. Monika Shergill, Vice President of Content at Netflix India, said the streamer is looking forward to another great year after a successful 2023.
”We swept a multitude of awards, including the Oscar, the International Emmy, Busan award for ‘Scoop’. On the back of a successful 2023, this year is going to be bigger and bolder. That’s how we planned it. When you have to program for that large an audience, it’s important to program to a wide taste… Our ambition is to super-serve the audiences and to give them all kinds of entertainment,” Shergill said.
The event was attended by AR Rahman, Diljit Dosanjh, Farhan Akhtar, Sonakshi Sinha, Manisha Koirala, Richa Chadha, Taapsee Pannu, Kriti Sanon, Vijay Varma, Anubhav Sinha, Aanand L Rai, Imtiaz Ali, Guneet Monga, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Kapil Sharma, and Sunil Grover, among others.
It all started with the introduction of the characters in Bhansali’s ‘Heeramandi’, featuring Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Chadha, Sharmin Segal, Aditi Rao Hydari, and Sanjeeda Shaikh.
Koirala, who is reuniting with Bhansali after his 1996 feature debut ‘Khamoshi: The Musical’, said the team tried to put its best foot forward as they were working with the master filmmaker.
The streamer is bringing the true story of the December 24, 1999 hijack of the Indian Airlines flight to screen in the form of a series titled ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’. The film stars Vijay Varma, Patralekha, Pankaj Kapur, Naseeruddin Shah, Arvind Swamy, Dia Mirza, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Amrita Puri, and Anupam Tripathi.
Netflix also unveiled the first looks of Amar Singh Chamkila, Kajol and Kriti Sanon-starrer ‘Do Patti’, Farhan Akhtar-produced ‘Dabba Cartel’, Luv Ranjan’s upcoming film ‘Wild Wild Punjab’, a documentary on rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh backed by Monga, comedian Sharma’s show ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’, and a docuseries on the cricketing rivalry between India and Pakistan called ‘The Greatest Rivalry – India vs Pakistan’.
The event also saw film announcements, including Neeraj Pandey’s ‘Sikandar Ka Muqaddar’ and ‘Murder Mubarak’, featuring Sara Ali Khan and Varma. The streamer also shared a sneak peek into the next installment of the Taapsee Pannu-starrer movie ‘Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba’.
Netflix’s returning series titles, such as the third seasons of ‘Fabulous Lives Vs Bollywood Wives’, Jeetendra Kumar-fronted ‘Kota Factory’, ‘Mismatched’ starring Rohit Saraf and Prajakta Koli, and the second season of ‘Khakee: The Bengal Chapter’, created by Pandey, and ‘Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein’, were also officially featured in the showcase.
