Celeb recommends: Badri Venkatesh lists his favourite series on OTT platforms

The filmmaker's last outing, starring Rio Raj and Ramya Nambeesan, had hit the theatres a week ago,

 

Director Badri Venkatesh, whose Plan Panni Pannanum is expected to release on Disney+ Hotstar soon, says he loved binge watching a lot of series and films during the lockdown. According to him, it was Indian series which kept him hooked with their taut screenplay and impressive making.

He says, "I was amazed at the writing of a few of the series I watched. I focused mostly on Indian web series because it was good to see our content evolving. I caught up with a few intriguing Malayalam movies as well. The lockdown, for me, was productive this way." On the future of web series in Tamil, he adds, "It is in its nascent stage, but things will gradually change in the coming years."

Asur

The crime thriller, starring Arshad Warsi, Barun Sobti, Ridhi Dogra and Anupriya Goenka in leading roles, is streaming on Voot. Set in the backdrop of Varanasi, the 8-episode series deals with the connection between a few murders and aspects like mythology and religion. The series, which opened to positive reviews, marked the OTT debut of Arshad Warsi. Asur has been directed by Oni Sen.

Aarya

Sushmita Sen plays the titular role in this crime drama which is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. Its first season, featuring nine episodes, was released in 2020, while the second season with eight episodes was dropped a month ago. Based on Dutch series Penoza, the series revolves around a woman who sets out to avenge her husband's death. Ram Madhvani, Sandeep Modi and Vinod Rawat directed the first season of the series while Kapil Sharma replaced Sandeep in the second season.

Maharani

The 10-episode series which has Huma Qureshi as its protagonist is streaming on SonyLIV. Set in 90s, the political drama which was dropped earlier last year, has Sohum Shah, Amit Sial and Kani Kusruti among others essaying notable characters. The series, which opened to mixed reviews, courted controversy for a dialogue in it. Maharani has been directed by Karan Sharma.

She

Aaditi Pohankar and Vijay Varma play lead roles in the series which is streaming on Netflix. The 7-episode series which released in 2020 had opened to discouraging reviews from critics, though the performances of a few artists were appreciated. It is expected that the second season of the series will be out soon. She has been directed by Arif Ali and Avinash Das.

City of Dreams

The political thriller set in Mumbai backdrop is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. Its first season was dropped on May 2019 and the second season released two years later. Atul Kulkarni, Priya Bapat and Sachin Pilgaonkar play lead roles in the series which was panned by critics upon its release. City of Dreams has been directed by Nagesh Kukunoor.

Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story

The espionage thriller, starring Kay Kay Menon, Vinay Pathak, Karan Tacker and Vipul Gupta, is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. The 8-episode series, which released in 2020, opened to positive reviews from critics. The second instalment of the series, titled Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story, was dropped a couple of months ago. Neeraj Pandey and Shivam Nair have directed the series.

Mirzapur

The gangster drama set in Uttar Pradesh is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Starring Pankaj Tripathi, Divyendu Sharma, Ali Fazal, Vikrant Massey and Shweta Tripathi Sharma among others in lead roles, its first season was dropped in 2018, while the most awaited second season was released on 2020. The series, which opened to positive reviews, has been directed by Karan Anshuman, Gurmeet Singh and Mihir Desai.

Four More Shots Please

The series, which revolves around the lives of four women who live life by their own terms unapologetically, is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Sayani Gupta, Bani, Kirti Kulhari and Maanvi Gagroo play lead roles in the series which has two seasons of 10 episodes each. Anu Menon and Nupur Asthana have directed the first and second season of the series respectively.

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