Hindi content continues to rule web series space

Guilty Minds

The Broken News

Criminal Justice

Indian Predator

Suzhal

In the first of the two-part series, DH lists the top Indian shows across OTT platforms in 2022.

Delhi Crime Season 2: The second season focuses on the ‘Kaccha Baniyan Gang’. Set in the current times, the Delhi police is tasked with the challenge to grab a group of murderers who seem to be from the famous gang which was active in the 90s. The five episodes make for a smooth binge watch thanks to the quality writing.

Guilty Minds and Criminal Justice: Courtroom drama is an interesting genre. ‘Guilty Minds’ has two parallel narratives. One is about a group of lawyers and their backstories. Each episode talks about one particular case and all the cases are relevant, like the digital theft, and the MMS scandals. It is an interesting watch on how the law looks at new-age crimes.

Criminal Justice is engaging thanks to the courtroom arguments with Pankaj Tripathi as the defense lawyer stealing the show. The series is about the death of a celebrity kid and what happens when his step brother gets accused.

Broken News: This is a remake of BBC One’s very popular series Press. It is about two rival television news channels, one which takes the ethical path, and one that travels in the wrong route (morally). The series, a comeback project for Sonali Bendre, reflects the politics involved in broadcast journalism. Jaydeep Ahlawat, who broke through with his memorable performance in Paatal Lok, is the star of the show.

Light-hearted dramas

Om Shanti: The series takes you through the entire process of a house construction.

Gullak (third season), Panchayat (second season) and Half Pants Full Pants were the other laudable comedy dramas.

Tamil content

Suzhal: The Vortex and ‘Vadanti’: These two impressive Tamil web series came from the Pushkar-Gayathri Production house. Both are similar, in the sense that, they were investigative thrillers set in small town with folklore playing a key role in the narrative.

Bangla series springs a surprise

Karagar (Jail): There is one cell in a jail that is always empty. Suddenly one night, a person appears there. He says he has been there in the prison for long. Then begins the mystery — Who is this guy? Why is he there? Where has he come from? The production value and performances are impressive.

True crime documentaries

Netflix was big on true crime documentaries this year with India Predator being one of the highlights under the genre.

Two stories among four in the series stood out. Butcher of Delhi, which was the first installment, was gripping. It is about a serial killer named Chandrakant Jha, who decapitated victims outside the Tihar Jail. The Murder in the Courtroom, where several ladies come together and kill the abuser in the courtyard in front of the magistrate, is a horrifying watch.

The extensive research that has gone behind the stories make them extremely engaging. The makers tried to get behind the psyche of the killers and weren’t just satisfied with presenting mere facts.