This pandemic induced year has been tough in many ways. Starting from the fact that most of us could not step out thanks to the lockdown. But one of the things that made it a little easier for all of us is the boom of online shows. Thanks to several streaming platforms that have come up in the past few years, we get to watch some of the best content in just a few clicks. Moreover, content on a streaming platform means that it is a watch for anyone and everyone across the globe who had a subscription. So here we are, almost at the end of this rather difficult year thanking all the streaming platforms that managed to keep us entertained through multiple lockdowns.
Here are our top 5 entertaining OTT platforms of 2020 (In no particular order, of course) :
Netflix
Let’s start off with the aan, baan and shaan of any OTT watcher, shall we? Netflix in 2020 has given us a good mix of cringe and binge. Not to mention quality content that won us our first International Emmy Award! Delhi Crime, I’m looking at you. From cringe-binge shows like Indian Matchmaking or Fabulous Lives Of Bollywood Wives to quality content like A Suitable Boy featuring Tabu and Ishaan Khatter in lead roles to Delhi Crime featuring Shefali Shah and Rasika Duggal Netflix has pretty much done it all. It would be criminal not to mention their latest show, Mismatched that featured YouTuber Prajakta Kohli and the internet’s latest crush Rohit Saraf. This streaming platform has won us over in terms of variant and quality content for sure. Not to mention the constant fodder that Netflix provides to meme-makers due to its shows! Remember the Sima Aunty memes?
Amazon Prime
Our lockdown was made a little better with the comedy-drama series Panchayat featuring the internet’s favourite Jeetu Bhaiyya aka Jitendra Kumar. Then came the mind-blowing Pataal Lok produced by Anushka Sharma. Bang in the middle of the year, Amazon Prime Video blew us away with India’s first music-led, rom-com show – Bandish Bandits. Who isn’t still listening to Sajan Bin? A combination of fresh faces like Ritwik Bhowmik and Shreya Chaudhry, legendary actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Sheeba Chadha, and Atul Kulkarni, and the soulful music by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy was a treat. And then came the much-awaited second season of the revenge drama Mirzapur. We can’t help but wait for the next season of all these shows. Can you blame us?
Voot Select
Voot original Asur was an excellent surprise to us, viewers, in so many ways. So much that it’s already been nominated for many awards. It was a perfect blend of Indian mythology and forensic science that was required to hook anyone watching it. This one also boasted of a stellar cast led by Arshad Warsi and Barun Sobti. Then there was The Gone Game, the first of its kind because it was shot during the lockdown by the actors in their homes with no outside help whatsoever. A thriller in the times of Covid, based on Covid. Voot also was a host to a number of other stellar shows like The Raikar Case, Crackdown, Illegal, and many more.
ALT Balaji
Can TV & production mogul and overall badass, Ekta Kapoor ever go wrong with content made for the masses? I think not! ALTBalaji, the king of Hindi originals, kick-started the year on a major tempo with Mentalhood that marked Karisma Kapoor‘s debut on OTT. And boy are we glad to have her back on screen! A special shoutout to ALT for bringing Lolo back on screen! Mentalhood was different, yet as real as ever, Mentalhood spoke about Moms of various personalities and won the hearts of millions around the globe. The other noteworthy show was the action thriller Code M based on army, starring Jennifer Winget that had the viewers cracking the code with the lead. The platform also engaged audiences with Baarish Season 2, Bebaakee Season 1, Mum Bhai, and Dark 7 White. Such was the fandom around Bicchoo Ka Khel, one of ALTBalaji’s top shows, that the book went into reprint post the show launch and Divyenndu got applauded as an OTT superstar. With over 68+ Hindi originals in multiple genres on the platform ALTBalaji, has something for everyone. Interesting anecdote, ALTBalaji also launched some great soundtracks like ‘Bichhua’, ‘Laal peeli ankhiyaan’, ‘Galliyaan’ ‘Intehaan’ to name a few this year. As the year ends, the platform is set to launch Paurashpur, one of its most ambitious projects that looks like a magnum opus.
Disney+ Hotstar
Disney+Hotstar’s Special Ops was as good as the stellar cast that it boasted of. An Indian espionage thriller that featured Kay Kay Menon, Karan Tacker, Vinay Pathak, Saiyami Kher, and many others. Taking a quick second to thank Disney+Hotstar for bringing back Sushmita Sen with the infamous show, Aarya. What a treat it was to watch this diva back on screen and playing such a badass too. Not to forget Hundred the action-comedy starring Lara Dutta, Rinku Rajguru, and Karan Wahi that left the audience laughing while they were at the edge of their seats. Their latest comedy series that featured anyone funny you can think of in Bollywood from Gajraj Rao, Vijay Raaz to Ranvir Shorey and Nidhi Singh was as expected, a laughter riot as well.
Just looking at the massive list of content we’ve had this year, I’m super excited to see what content these streaming platforms have in store for the coming year. Are you excited to go back to binge-watching such amazing content? I know I am!