MUMBAI: From #JantaCurfew to 21 days lockdown, time is definitely moving very slowly these days. Our routine is less of a routine and revolves around sleep, eat and “WFH” which easily also translates to work from home, work at home and then of course – watch at home.
We have a list of premium quality shows you can binge for free! From regional narratives to spine-chilling thrillers, relationship sagas to revenge dramas or even coming of age stories - this list has it all:
1. Queen - Directed by the National Award winner Gautham Vasudev Menon &Prasath Murugesan, this series brings to life the story of Shakthi Sheshadri. Reluctant actress, reluctant politician and a non-conformist until the very end - She was destiny’s child who rose from the ashes like a phoenix to rule the state as its youngest female chief minister. Inspired by true events, this series is headlined by Ramya Krishnan who portrays the role of Shakthi. Additionally, the series also stars Anikha Surendran, Anjana Jayaprakash and Indrajith Sukumaran amongst others
2. Pawan & Pooja –This relationship drama explores the lives of 3 couples – all coincidentally named Pawan and Pooja, who, at different stages of their lives discover that their love is indeed conditional, breakable and questionable. Bound by trust and now in their 60’s - Pawan and Pooja Kalra (Deepti Naval and Mahesh Manjrekar) decide to make a Regret List and mark off all that they couldn’t in their young age. Battling a stagnant marriage in their 40’s, Pawan (Sharman Joshi) and Pooja Mehra (Gul Panag) have loved none other but each other, however – that love is no longer the same. In their 20s’s, Pawan Srivastav (Taaruk Raina) and Pooja Maheshwari (Natasha Bharadwaj) love their online friends and the virtual world above themselves but for how long? These complex relationships and their even more complex emotions are all brought alive in this 10 episodic series examines the complexities of the one emotion that connects us all: LOVE.
3. Samantar – This web series traces the journey of Kumar Mahajan, whose life changes when he hears that a man called Sudarshan Chakrapani’s past will be his future. Kumar is a common man at a juncture where absolutely nothing is going right. He can’t meet his family’s needs, he is fired from his job and even the smallest things seem to be going astray and only one man can now help him know his future – Sudarshan Chakrapani. The 9 episodic series is directed by Satish Rajwade and it has also been dubbed in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
4. Bhaukaal – Inspired By The Life Of IPS Officer Navniet Sekera, Bhaukaal is set in Muzaffarnagar in 2003. The series tells the tale of how one courageous officer goes on a clean-up drive to punish criminals, battles local influential personalities and re-establishes the faith of the common man in the law. It is directed by Jatin Wagle and stars Mohit Raina, Abhimanyu Singh, Siddhanth Kapoor, Bidita Bag, Sunny Hinduja, Rashmi Rajput, Pradeep Nagar and Gulki Joshi in pivotal roles.
5. Madhuri Talkies – Madhuri Talkies is a hard-hitting tale of a young man Manish, who sets out on a bloody rampage in Banaras to avenge his love, Puneeta who was violated by a gang of power-hungry men who ruled that small town city. Produced for Applause Entertainment by Elio Motion Pictures and co-produced by Arvind Babbal Productions, the series is directed by Arvind Babbal. This Bhojpuri drama series stars Sagar Wahi, Aishwarya Sharma in the lead.
6. Thinkistan 1 and 2
Season 1 of this 11 episodic series follows the graphs of two contrasting characters slugging it out in this seductive, mad world of advertising. Amit (essayed by Naveen Kasturia) is a Hindi speaking junior copy writer who comes from Bhopal while English trainee copywriter Hema (Played by Shravan Reddy) is a suave, well-read metropolitan. Amit and Hema represent a divide caused by language and social class that is seen in India, till date. But when will we realize that ideas have no language and the biggest ideas are the ones that unite us instead of dividing us?
Set in the 1990s, the series features powerhouse performers like Mandira Bedi, Satyadeep Misra and Vasuki in pivotal roles and is a true depiction of the fast-paced lives of the ad world that showcases the harsh realities of everything you thought you knew about the domain.
While season 1 of MX Player’s ‘Thinkistan’ gave you a sneak peek into the world of advertising, Kiska Hoga Thinkistan- Season 2 offers viewers high octane drama, politics and interpersonal rivalry that goes on inside the four walls of the agency.
Hema (Shravan Reddy) and Amit (Naveen Kasturia) battled the divide caused by social class, strengthened by their unbreakable bond of trust and friendship. But the entry of a new boss, William (Neil Bhoopalam) shakes the foundation of life as they knew it at MTMC.
7. Aani Kay Hava 1 and 2 – The first time you cook together, the first festival you celebrate as a couple, your first major fight, the down payment for your first car and the joy of buying your first house - Season 1 of this slice of life series explored the magical firsts in the life of Jui (Priya Bapat) and Saket (Umesh Kamat). Season 2 of this lighthearted series explores what comes next in the life of this married couples and witnesses how the couple’s bond strengthens over time. Directed by Varun Narvekar, this show helps you find happiness in small events of your life
8. Naked- A porn star, a righteous officer, a high-profile murder case and a seductive suspect - Vikram Bhatt never fails to create a sense of thrill that is unparalleled. Hotelier Rishabh Mehta is found murdered. An honest cop, Suraj Kadam (played by Aryamann Seth), begins investigating the case and meets Natasha Kamra (SuparnaMoitra), the prime suspect, who is also a porn star by profession. But are things the way they seem to be? Is Natasha guilty or not? Sometimes, the truth is nothing but just a naked illusion and the intriguing plot is laced with mystery from the word go.
9. Hello Mini – Adapted from Novoneel Chakraborty’s ‘Stranger Trilogy’, directed by Faruk Kabir and written by Anand Sivakumaran, this 15 episodic series traces the life of a young independent girl - Rivanah Bannerjee who is stalked by a stranger who keeps an eye on her every move. Incessant messages, frantic calls, constantly being told what to do and a blatant violation of her privacy leads Rivanah aka Mini on a dangerous path when the stranger’s obsession with her, starts affecting her life. The series sees an ensemble cast of Anuja Joshi, Gaurav Chopra, Priya Banerjee, and Mrinal Dutt in key roles
10. Hey Prabhu –Tarun Prabhu is just like you and me. Online, he is a social media hero with every post getting millions of views but offline – his boss doesn’t like him, his love life is messed up and his parents just don’t seem to get him. From the director of Veere Di Wedding, Shashanka Ghosh comes this fun and slice of life dramedy starring Rajat Barmecha, Achint Kaur, SheebaChaddha, Ritu Raj Singh, Parul Gulati and Prynca Talukdar in pivotal roles
11. Aafat– Five beautiful girls with five unusual eccentricities and one common problem – being stereotyped! That’s what MX Original Series ‘Aafat’ is all about! A hilarious yet thought provoking series on marriage and what society perceives to be the ‘ideal bride’ – it explores a story of five prospective women who would suit for any man on Earth but each of these firebrands has a unique quirk that many believe to be imperfections - fat, hairy, bald, divorced and the one who abuses.. Their lives run parallel to each other with a common thread attached - the boy who they are meeting from a marriage agency. The series stars Nikita Dutta, Pushtie Shakti, Anshul Chauhan, Chitrashi Rawat & Neelam Silvia in key roles.
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