It’s safe to say Netflix has changed the way we hang in more ways than one. It is hands down the greatest escape from our mundane reality. Let’s be honest, while our Instagram selves are busy wearing cute dresses and holidaying in exotic locations, our real selves are in bed with a large tub of chips and our favourite show on Netflix. Thanks to the likes of Sacred Games, Selection Day and Leila, there’s no doubting Indian and regional content on the platform as well. They’re kickass, to say the least. There are hardly six more months to 2020 and I trust Netflix to keep us sufficiently occupied till then and beyond. But what if I were to give you a heads up for all the mind-blowing series that will be coming your way in the coming year?
You won’t have to go around asking people for suggestions on what to watch next, by posting on your Instagram stories and elsewhere for the most part of the coming year for sure. Because I’ve got your back on that!
Here are five brand new shows that you’d want to look forward to in 2020:
1. Bombay Begums
Created, written and directed by Alankrita Shrivastava of Lipstick Under Burkha and Made In Heaven fame, the story revolves around five women of different generations in urban India. You get to see them wrestle with desires, ethics, personal crises, and vulnerabilities to own their ambition. As glass ceilings shatter, so do hearts and as it goes difficult choices have to be made. During their individual journeys, they develop an unexpected bond with each other. I’m waiting with my jug of sangria and a bunch of my girlfriends to binge-watch this one for sure. I could use some bonding time with my BFFs while we watch some glass ceilings shatter on-screen.
Mai
A deep personal tragedy throws a docile 47-year-old wife and mother into a world of violence and power. What goes onto become a run-in with white-collar crime and politics, changes her life forever. If the story itself wasn’t exciting enough for you, the show is being produced by Anushka Sharma and her brother Karnesh Sharma‘s Clean Slate Films. The show is written by Atul Mongia along with Tamal Sen, Amita Vyas, with Sudip Sharma as a Creative Producer. Bring on some intense political thriller with a woman in the centre of it. I’m here for it, y’all.
Betaal
If y’all like me thought the Indian TV series scene was lacking some horror, Shah Rukh Khan‘s Red Chillies Entertainment is here to cater to that complaint with this particular show. In this show, a remote village becomes witness to a terrifying battle when a two-century-old Betaal, a British Indian Army officer, and his battalion of zombie redcoats are unleashed. I can only imagine the nail-biting sequences when the Indian policemen are pitted against the undead army. Red Chillies will be seen collaborating with Ghoul’s Patrick Graham as the Writer/Director and showrunner, along with Nikhil Mahajan as the Director and Suhani Kanwar as the writer. With Blumhouse (known to design some of the best horror content) as executive producers, I’m going to say, Walking Dead, who? If you ask me, horror stories in India are way scarier than the West.
Messy
If you’re not all that into horror, political thrillers or women empowering dramas, Netflix has still gotchu, boo. It’s going to hit you with some rom-com freshness with its show Messy. In the show, Beanie is an upcoming standup comic who struggles to balance a career in comedy with her day-job, peculiar BFF, persistent parents, and proposal-popping boyfriend. Basically the story of every other girl in the city! Messy is about her trying to find her own voice and get her life together in the midst of all the mayhem. American Actor and Director, Ravi Patel stars in the series which he has created and co-written with Neel Shah. The series is co-produced by The District’s David Bernad and Ruben Fleischer and Mutant Films‘ Seher Aly Latif & Shivani Saran. *Silent prayer to fast forward to 2020*
Masaba Masaba
Sure we’ve seen the glamorous depiction of fashion designers thanks to many Hollywood and Bollywood films. But what if I told you that you get a follow-her-around pass with one of the most famous designer’s in India — Masaba Gupta. This show is based on real-life moments from Masaba Gupta’s life following her unique background, her world of fashion, family and her venture into the dating world. This fun series will be enacted by the mother-daughter duo Masaba and Neena Gupta complete with tongue-in-cheek humour. This series will be created and produced by Ashvini Yardi’s Viniyard Films and will be directed by Sonam Nair. Funny and fashionable? Who doesn’t want to watch a show like that?! Sign me up, sis.
These are some of the major shows that are coming up next year and we can’t wait for these to start popping up on our watchlist on Netflix. What are your thoughts?