Trying new lockdown recipes– Check! Posting singing and dancing videos on social media- Check! Joining online guitar classes– Check! Creating your own Youtube Channel- Check! Binging on web channels- CHECK! Sounds too familiar, doesn’t it? Well, that’s precisely the year 2020 for you…in a nutshell!
Between all those new activities and skills that you accomplished and juggling between Work From Home & Work At Home this year, “Netflix and Chill” has become more like a blessing than a casual phrase. We can’t thank the brilliant content all over the OTT platforms enough to help us get through the year. Truly, web series and movies have proved to be one of the sources of our salvation in such difficult times. At least, for me!
So, looking back, which were the top 10 web series 2020 that actually revolutionized the world of cinema? Or shall we say the world of OTT cinema? Here are my top 10 web-series (2020) in Hindi, which are totally binge-worthy. Check it out and get on with it, if you’ve missed any!
Mirzapur- 2
Mirzapur 2 has been eagerly awaited by the whole nation and for very right reasons. Not just the terrific cast who made every character alive and disturbingly real for the viewers, but Season 2 also witnessed some seriously phenomenal writing. Writer/creator Puneet Krishna went a few steps ahead this time to intensify the characters and add more twisted plot points. From Munna’s (Divyendu Sharma) obsession with power, Beena’s (Rasika Dugal) astounding portrayal of a woman’s complex emotions, to the shrewd and focused Sharad Shukla (Anjum Sharma)- every character in season 2, big or small gets imprinted on the viewer’s mind. The spot-on screenplay doesn’t let you breathe until the whole series is over. Easily one of my personal favourite top 10 web series of 2020 that almost made Mirzapur our desi counterpart of Game of Thrones!
Plot Summary: Social crime drama series revolving around two families, their rivalries, deeper insight into the corrupt system and its consequences on the people and their lives in Mirzapur.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video.
Paatal Lok
After Sacred Games, Paatal Lok came almost as close in terms of gritty social crime drama series. One of the most-watched, highly acclaimed, and definitely among the top 10 web series (2020) in India, Paatal Lok proved to be a winner. New director Prosit Roy who took this project up after he directed Pari, poured every ounce of honesty and brilliance in every scene. Co-director Avinash Arun put his years of cinematographic experience to excellent use and the duo managed to create the masterpiece that Paatal Lok is. No stars, but just pure brilliant script by Sudip Sharma, Sagar Haveli, Hardik Mehta, and Gunjan Chopra, and stellar performances by the cast is what makes the series tick. Jaideep Ahlawat, Abhishek Banerjee, Neeraj Kabi, Ishwak Singh, and Swastika Mukherjee make the characters alive and hard-hitting.
Plot Summary: Four suspects get arrested for a terror attack by an ordinary cop who gets entangled into a deeper and more dangerous labyrinth of the political web.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video.
Scam 1992- The Harshad Mehta Story
While talking about the top 10 web series (2020) released in India, we just can’t miss out on Scam-1992, The Harshad Mehta Story. Indian television might have rarely witnessed such a flawless biopic. The star of the show being Pratik Gandhi who played Harshad in this Hansal Mehta directorial, simply aced the role with his finesse. The super-tight editing and VFX accomplished to perfection portraying the 80’s-90’s Mumbai added to the top-notch production quality. The supporting cast (Shreya Dhanwanthary, Hemant Kher, Chirag Vohra, and Faisal Rashid) and the title music by Achint Thakkar deserve special accolades from me!
Plot Summary: Based on the true story of Mumbai’s stockbroker in the late ’80 & the ’90s, who sent the entire country’s economy into a frenzy by taking advantage of the loopholes in the system. The series tells the story of Harshad Mehta’s monumental rise and downfall based on a book written by journalist Sucheta Dalal who covered his story.
Where to watch: SonyLiv.
Special Ops
We’ve always been a fan of secret mission stories with Indian soldiers fighting the terrorists and outsmarting their strategies with super intelligence and courage. Ever since A Wednesday, Neeraj Panday has never disappointed us with his smart, fast-paced screenplays with the right amounts of martial arts, mind games and well-crafted dialogues. Special Ops is the kind of web series that keeps you hooked with the “good vs evil without being preachy” script. K.K. Menon is always a treat to watch, Special Ops is no exception. The refreshing Sajjad Delafrooz is just a delightful addition to the series and does perfect justice to the character of Hafiz Ali. Binge on one of the top 10 web series in 2020 while enjoying your favourite Sunday lunch over the weekend. Especially, if you love Indian intelligence and undercover cop stories!
Plot Summary: Based on several Indian significant events since the ’80s, Special Ops is a story narrated from the point of view of a research and analysis team lead. He tries and finds terrorist attack patterns, decodes them, and creates his own task force team to nab them.
Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar.
Panchayat
If you’re looking for the top 10 web series of 2020 that is light-hearted, funny yet has a beautiful plot, Panchayat checks all the boxes. One of the web series favourite actors Jitendra Kumar (Jeetu Bhaiya) wins hearts all over again with his simple and realistic acting that’s relatable to the young crowd. Stalwarts like Raghuveer Yadav and Neena Gupta only add extra weightage to the story. The rural background, the challenges of a young engineer to get things going in a village and the subtle situational comedy provide perfect content for a family watch. Panchayat is a breath of fresh air amidst all the pretentious over-complicated lifestyles of the urban world with hints of satire.
Plot Summary: Story of a young diploma engineer who gets posted in a remote village and his everyday challenges to deal with the rural Panchayat set up.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video.
A Simple Murder
Being a fan of dark and weird comedy, A Simple Murder has to be one of my favourite top 10 web series of 2020. In spite of being just his second independent directorial venture, Sachin Pathak successfully created this series that has a mixed bag of surprises in its store. Jabberwocky dialogues that leave you in splits, silly nonsensical situations with serious back story, and actors communicating with each other with such conviction- all these elements kind of give you the feeling it’s highly inspired from a Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron school of cinema! Ace performances by Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub, Amit Sial, Sushant Singh, and the perfectly apt voiceover of Vijay Raaz together make it the right ingredients for a complete crime comedy package.
Plot Summary: All hell breaks loose when Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub accidentally kills someone else instead of the assigned person. Confusion, revenge, goof-ups, and bagful of money…the plot and subplots weave into one big connected mess.
Where to watch: SonyLiv.
Jamtara- Sabka Number Aayega
One of the best things about Jamtara- Sabka Number Aayega is most characters don’t feel like they’re actors. Director Soumendra Padhi brought out the phishing scam into the screen such realistically that it makes you shudder in fright. Among all the other actors, Amit Sial especially gets into your skin with his terrific depiction of the atrocious and repulsive Brajesh Bhan. The writing, cinematography, and dialogues are flawless with just the kind of rawness the story demands.
Plot Summary: This story is based on the phishing racket carried out by a group of small-town boys of Jamtara. Until a corrupt politician takes advantage of their complicated and weak situation.
Where to watch: Netflix.
Bandish Bandits
Bandish Bandits is easily one of the top 10 web series (2020) that ruled the Indian OTT platform for quite a long time. Never before had there been a television or web series entirely based on Indian classical music, Gharana tradition, and its significance exploring the subject in such depth. Crème casting starring Naseeruddin Shah, Atul Kulkarni, Sheeba Chaddha, Rajesh Tailang, melodious music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, and intelligent direction by Anand Tiwary- all good reasons to watch this groundbreaking series!
Plot Summary: Bandish Bandits explores the musical journey and love of two people belonging to contrasting musical genres.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video.
Aarya
Glamour queen Sushmita Sen takes the world of the OTT cinema platform by the storm with her enigmatic come back to the screen. After all those macho crime mafia men cursing, slashing throats, and fighting over “who’s the boss”, Ms Sen slays it with her elegance magnetic representation of Aarya. The strong supporting cast with the likes of Namit Das, Sikander Kher, Vikas Kumar, and Jayant Kriplani was extremely powerful of course. But Sushmita manages to overshadow everyone like a boss in one of the top 10 web series in India (2020)!
Plot Summary: After the sudden death of her husband Aarya has to consequently take over the whole business. And she discovers deep secrets and gets to understand the real shades of relations and friendships.
Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar.
Breathe Into The Shadows
Rustic Abhishek Bachchan with his intense looks and playing a grey complex character- what’s there not to like? Sure ‘Breathe into the shadows’ wasn’t as flawless as the first season of Breathe starring R. Madhavan and had quite a few predictable moments. Nevertheless, the storytelling was quite engaging. Fine performances by Nithya Menen, Amit Sadh, Saiyyami Kher, and child artist Ivana Kaur were particularly noteworhty. Director Mayank Sharma pulled off a dark subject with smart treatments.
Plot Summary: When his 6-year-old daughter is kidnapped mysteriously, Dr. Avinash gets bizarre ransom demands of killing people. Breathe Into The Shadows is a story of a father and his inner conflict about ways to save his family.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video.
Asur and Gone Game get special mentions too in the list of top 10 web series 2020. Thanks to the OTT platform, we got the opportunity to experience some outstanding performances along with writing and production quality. Yes, the year 2020 has been devastating on so many levels. Yes, the damage caused will take ages to recover from. Personal losses, economic fall, joblessness, natural calamities…there are no words that could make the situation better or undo what happened. The least we can do is feel thankful for what we have and try and stay positive to look forward. And take some time out for ourselves by enjoying the creative content on web platforms to recharge ourselves.
So, which were your top 10 Hindi web series of 2020? Share your list with us in the comment section below!
[…] The second innings of Sangeet Samrat, which is the finale of the season brings more drama along with more elements of music. As it’s a battle of the Gharanas, we get the chance to witness two different singing styles with equally enchanting singing prowess. Where Javed Ali’s “Lab par aaye” fills your heart with old-school romance, Shankar Mahadevan’s “Viraha” gives you some serious goosebumps. Farid Hasan & Mohammad Aman equally give stirring performances. and Without spoiling it for you, I can assure, that the finale is something that you will not be able to forget for a while. One… Read more »
Superbly written
nice list, have seen 5 out of these. will try to check out the rest too. Do keep your reviews coming.
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