Netflix extends Indian content slate
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Rebecca Hawkes
| 12 November 2018

SVOD leader Netflix has set the global release date for anticipated Indian family drama Rajma Chawal as 30 November, as well as announcing eight new original films and another original series from India.

“This line-up cuts across genres from horror to fantasy and in locations from Leh to Mumbai. The breadth of stories with its local settings and complex characters is incredible and we can’t wait for people to discover and fall in love with them,” said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix.

The new original series, Typewriter, is about a haunted house and a haunted book that stir the imagination of a young group of wannabe ghost hunters and their dog. Determined to capture the ghost that plagues a notorious home in their Goan neighbourhood, the crew struggles to cope with school, chores and ghostbusting demands when a new family move into the haunted home.

Among the newly announced Netflix original films, Chopsticks is about an under-confident but talented girl, sidestepped at every stage of her life, who seeks out an enigmatic con to help recover her stolen car from a goat-loving, crazy Mumbai gangster. The Sachin Yardi directed film stars Mithila Palkar, Abhay Deol and Vijay Raaz. It is produced by Ashvini Yardi of Vineyard Productions.

Bulbul, produced by Anushka Sharma and Karnesh Sharma’s Clean Slate Films, is a period piece set amid age-old beliefs and superstitions. Satya and his brother’s child bride, Bulbul, were inseparable until he was sent to England for his education. On his return, he finds Bulbul has been abandoned by his brother and now lives a solitary existence as the enigmatic lady-of-the-palace, dedicating herself to the welfare of the people. But their ancestral village is plagued by mysterious deaths and stories of a woman who lives in the trees.

Upstarts is a bromance about three college graduates from small-town India, captivated by the startup mania. Entering the rollercoaster startup ecosystem of big dreams, big money and bigger sharks, they are faced with a big choice - their dreams, or their friendship. Directed by Udai Singh Pawar, Upstarts is produced by Raja Menon, Janani Ravichandran and Jawahar Sharma of Bandra West Productions.

Cobalt Blue, based on the best-selling novel of the same name, is the story of a brother and sister who fall in love with the same man, and how a traditional Marathi family is shattered by the ensuing events. This story of forbidden love is written and directed by Sachin Kundalkar.

Marathi film, 15th August, produced by Madhuri Dixit, is set in a Mumbai chawl, and follows the course of a single day as its residents prepare for the flag-hoisting ceremony. While Music Teacher, directed by Sarthak Dasgupta, is a story about a troubled music teacher (Manav Kaul), who comes to terms with his bitterness through an estranged student, now a renowned Bollywood singer.

Hotel Mumbai tells the true story of the victims and survivors of the devastating attacks on Mumbai in 2008. The film, directed by Anthony Maras, stars Dev Patel, Armie Hammer, Nazanin Boniadi, Anupam Kher, and Jason Isaacs. This film will be available on Netflix only in the SAARC region.

Another Marathi film, Firebrand, is a drama directed by Aruna Raje and produced by Priyanka Chopra, following a successful lawyer (Usha Jadhav), as she tackles difficult family cases while dealing with issues in her own marriage. It also stars Girish Kulkarni, Sachin Khedekar and Rajeshwari Sachdev.
Netflix is also continuing production on Leila, a dystopian fiction series produced by Deepa Mehta, including Huma Qureshi in the title role and Siddharth Suryanarayan. The cast of upcoming series Baahubali: Before the Beginning, has also been unveiled with Mrunal Thakur as Sivagami, Rahul Bose as Skandadasa.