Netflix has unveiled an eclectic, star-studded India slate for 2024.
New films on the slate include comedy “Wild Wild Punjab” from producers Luv Ranjan and Ankur Garg and director Simarpreet Singh, where a group of drunk boys decide to avenge a friend’s breakup by crashing his ex’s wedding and achieve closure. Varun Sharma, Sunny Singh, Manjot Singh, Jassie Gill Patralekhaa and Ishita Raj star. Neeraj Pandey’s heist thriller “Sikandar Ka Muqaddar” spans 18 years and will be shot across multiple locations in India and internationally.
New scripted series include Anubhav Sinha and Trishant Srivastava’s thriller “IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack.” On Dec. 24, 1999, Indian Airlines flight IC 814, en route from Kathmandu to New Delhi, was hijacked and taken to Kandahar in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The series tells the story of the hijack that lasted seven days. The massive cast includes Vijay Verma, Patralekhaa, Pankaj Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Arvind Swami and Dia Mirza.
PvNew chat show “The Great Indian Kapil Show” is the first time Kapil Sharma is bringing his unscripted comedy series format to streaming, having previously had iterations on network TV. Sharma and his regulars Sunil Grover, Archana Puran Singh, Krushna Abhishek, Kiku Sharda and Rajiv Thakur will feature.
New cricket-themed documentary series “The Greatest Rivalry – India vs Pakistan” features top Indian and Pakistani cricketers including Virender Sehwag, Saurav Ganguly, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shoaib Akhtar, Javed Miandad, Waqar Younis and Inzamam-ul-Haq.
These are in addition to a host of previously announced films and returning series and sequels across multiple genres, which will all stream this year. The highlight undoubtedly is Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s keenly anticipated “Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar.” Set in Lahore, pre-independent India, the lavish period drama turns on arch nemeses Mallikajaan and Fareedan who are locked in a battle for succession of Heeramandi, where courtesans reign as queens. The cast includes Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari, Richa Chadha, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Sharmin Segal, Shekhar Suman, Fardeen Khan, Adhyayan Suman and Taha Shah.
Imtiaz Ali’s film “Amar Singh Chamkila,” starring Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra, with music by Oscar-winner A.R. Rahman, tells the true story of Punjabi musician Amar Singh Chamkila, who rose to the heights of popularity in the 1980s, angering many along the way, ultimately leading to his assassination at the age of 27. Shashanka Chaturvedi’s mystery thriller original film “Do Patti” is headlined by Kajol and Kriti Sanon and marks the producing debuts of Sanon and writer Kanika Dhillon.
After series “The Romantics” and “The Railway Men,” Netflix’s fruitful association with leading Indian studio Yash Raj Films’ YRF Entertainment continues with two films – Siddharth P. Malhotra’s “Maharaj” and Akshay Roy’s “Vijay 69.” Starring Junaid Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Sharvari and Shalini Pandey, the 1800s-set “Maharaj” narrates how a regular man, journalist by profession, takes on a powerful role model of society, hailed by many as a messiah for the masses. Led by Anupam Kher, “Vijay 69” tells the story of a man who decides to compete in a triathlon contest at the age of 69. The partnership also includes scripted series, Gopi Puthran’s “Mandala Murders,” starring Vaani Kapoor and Vaibhav Raj Gupta, where two detectives are thrust into a dark world where murders are not just random acts of violence but also part of a sinister plan orchestrated by a century-old secret society.
Homi Adajania’s Delhi-set film “Murder Mubarak” is based on the novel “Club You To Death” by Anuja Chauhan, where a death at a posh recreational club opens an investigation that becomes more complex by the minute. The cast includes Sara Ali Khan, Pankaj Tripathi, Vijay Varma, Dimple Kapadia, Karisma Kapoor, Sanjay Kapoor, Tisca Chopra and Suhail Nayyar.
After the success of 2021 thriller film “Hasseen Dillruba,” its sequel “Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba” relocates the action to Agra. Taapsee Pannu and Vikrant Massey reprise their roles, while Sunny Kaushal and Jimmy Shergill are new additions to the cast.
Among scripted series, Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar’s “Dabba Cartel” is a story of five housewives who run a high-stakes secret cartel. The cast includes Shabana Azmi, Jyotika, Shalini Pandey, Nimisha Sajayan and Anjali Anand. In “Khakee: The Bengal Chapter,” Neeraj Pandey’s series moves from the badlands of Bihar to the ganglands of Bengal. “Kota Factory” Season 3 features another round of students swotting over high-stakes entrance exams that can make or break their lives.
“Maamla Legal Hai” is a gavel-slamming courtroom comedy headlined by Ravi Kishan. Season 3 of relationship drama “Mismatched” features Prajakta Koli and Rohit Saraf, while Season 2 of thriller “Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein” promises new twists.
Among unscripted series, following on from Karan Johar’s hit “Bollywood Wives” shows, “Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Wives” pitches India’s capital Delhi against Bollywood headquarters Mumbai, with three divas from the capital pitched against the titular Bollywood wives.
“Yo Yo Honey Singh: Famous,” a documentary on the life of hip hop artist and rapperYo Yo Honey Singhtakes a deep-dive into the reasons behind his sudden disappearance at the peak of his career. The documentary is directed byMozez Singh(Disney+ Hotstar series “Human”) and produced byGuneet MongaandAchin Jain‘s Sikhya Entertainment,2023 Oscar winners for “The Elephant Whisperers.” Netflix has also bought Nisha Pahuja’s Oscar-nominated documentary “To Kill a Tiger.”
