Netflix announces 10 Original Films with leading directors in India

Building upon its Indian content, Netflix has announced 10 new Original films with A-list directors. The streaming service has witnessed an uptick in the audience as well as the general adoption ration in India which is one of the reasons behind its continued investment into the Indian entertainment industry. Netflix claims that by 2020, it will have 15 original Indian titles in its global catalog.

Srishti Behl Arya, Director - International Original Film, India, Netflix said, "when Netflix launched in India, we changed the way Indian audiences enjoy their films. Given our diversity, history and culture, India is home to powerful stories waiting to be told to audiences around the world. The depth of talent and vision of our creators is enabling us to create films our members will love. We want to be a home for India’s finest filmmakers where their stories travel to more people than ever before."

Netflix has seen massive popularity in India with shows like Sacred Games, Selection Day, Lust Stories, Soni among others. Some of the previously announced titles such as Music Teacher, Cobalt Blue, Chopsticks, Upstarts and Bulbul are being developed and will be released by 2020. This year, the streaming service will also release the second season of Sacred Games which is one of the most anticipated shows of 2019.

10 new Netflix Indian Original films revealed

Lust Stories directors Zoya Akhtar, Karan Johar, Anurag Kashyap and Dibakar Banerjee reassemble to helm Ghost Stories. It will feature four spine-chilling stories, one by each director and is produced by RSVP and Ashi Dua.

Class of '83 is based on S. Hussain Zaidi's unreleased book and explores the life of a Mumbai Police officer who is tasked with creating a team of encounter specialists and how his students struggle with the question of morals, honour and patriotism. This is the second venture by Red Chillies Entertainment and is directed by Atul Sabharwal.

Mrs. Serial Killer brings together Shirish Kunder and Farah Khan as they tell a story about a doting wife who has to murder someone exactly like a serial killer on loose, because only then can she prove her husband to be innocent of murder charges for which he's imprisoned.

Guilty is produced by Dharmatic and is directed by Ruchi Narain. It shows the story from the eyes of a musician girl whose college hearth throb boyfriend is accused of rape.

Yeh Ballet revolves around the discovery of ballet by two boys and their attempts to escape their challenging environment. It is directed by Sooni Taraporevala and produced by Roy Kapur Films.

House Arrest is directed by Shashanka Ghosh and Samit Basu, from a script by Samit Basu and produced by India Stories. It tells us the story of a man who is anti-social and as a result, locks himself up in his house only to realize that he cannot stop the world from interacting with him.

Kaali Khuhi is set in a village of Punjab and explores the life of a 10-year-old girl who is the only one capable to save the village. The film is directed by Terrie Samundra and produced by Manomay Motion Pictures.

Maska is directed by Neeraj Udhwani and produced by Seher Aly Latif and Mutant Films and explores the life of a confused millennial who sets out on a journey to become a film star but comes to terms after spending a romantic summer with a girl.

Directed and produced by Dibakar Banerjee, Freedom tells a story about an Indian family connected with "personal, ideological and sexual history of India".

Serious Men is based on Manu Joseph's book by the same name and is directed by Sudhir Mishra. It is a film on a slum dweller who dupes the country by having everyone believe his 10-year-old kid is a prodigy.

Siddharth Chauhan
Siddharth Chauhan is the Consumer Technology Reporter at Digit India. He used to work as an Assistant Editor at TechRadar India