Paatal Lok, Mirzapur 2, Scam 1992 - 11 Best OTT shows of 2020 that helped us survive this year
Descriptions
This year is over. Since we are trying to be optimists, we believe that come January 1, Covid-19 will be gone...Poof! And we could latch on to this extreme optimism thanks to high-speed wi-fi and a host of content on our smartphones. So when we sat to do a year-ender to pick the best among the bests, we were in a fix. There was so much to watch this year and such amazing content. If there were gritty crime dramas like Paatal Lok or Mirzapur 2 or Asur, there was also Undekhi or Panchayat that served different tastes. So you can imagine how difficult it was to choose the top 10 shows this year. But we did cull out a list and here it is...
1. Undekhi - SonyLIV
Undekhi ko undekha karna would be a crime, we feel. Brilliant twists and turns, excellent performances and some really fantastic scenes. Although the ending was quite underwhelming, the show never loses its focus. A story on firing at weddings in UP which leads to the death of a dancer opens a can of worms and it's an exhilarating watch.
2. Panchayat - Amazon Prime Video
Panchayat with its slow-paced and dry humour came at a time when all of us were doused in grief to see the way COVID-19 cases were multiplying. It was the feel-good content we all needed and we are so glad we got it. Pradhan and Pradhan Patni gave us relationship goals with Raghivur Yadav and Neena Gupta helmning the characters.
3. Scam 1992 - SonyLIV
Biographies are a few things that Indian filmmakers should strictly stay away from. We don't know where to draw a line between telling a story and glorifying a character for no rhyme or reason. But Hansal Mehta's Scam 1992 manages to strike a balance between showing a man seeped in self-glory and greed and the whistle-blower’s bid to expose him. It only works that it had some amazing acting talents in it.
4. Mirzapur 2 - Amazon Prime Video
Mirzapur has already managed to make room in people's minds with its first season that made people go crazy demanding for the second one. When it did release, it earned everything from brickbats, extreme praise to complete slander. But the makers managed to keep the show's premise interesting and even more intriguing than before.
5. Paatal Lok - Amazon Prime Video
Yet another crime drama, Paatal Lok became a rage because it bared the vulnerabilities of every character in the show in the backdrop of a heinous crime.
6. Taj Mahal 1989 - Netflix
Love stories have healing powers and so, Taj Mahal 1989 is our choice here. It's one of the most endearing series of this year which leaves you with a broad smile on your face.
7. Special Ops - Disney+ Hotstar
A Special Ops team taking on a threat to the nation's security, we have seen millions of content on this particular topic. But making it count by adding fresh spin and twists make Special Ops a fantastic watch.
8. Bandish Bandits - Amazon Prime Video
A show on music and that too classical Indian music... such a rarity! India hardly makes movies or shows on music. But here is a series that didn't just work but became a rage. It talks and accentuates the beautiful Hindustani classical music.
9. Asur - Voot Select
A heady mixture of mythology and crime, Asur is the most unexpectedly great series of 2020. Barun Sobti and Arshad Warsi create a completely different world where the leads aren't what they seem.
10. Abhay 2 - Zee5
It's sort of difficult to keep the intrigue factor intact when you are doing season two of an investigative thriller. While Abhay 2 does rely on many tropes of the previous season, it never lets you down when it comes to revealing the truth.
11. Jamtara - Netflix
We have all received dodgy calls from suspicious numbers asking for our ATM pins or bank details and that's exactly why Jamtara turned out to be so thrilling. It was like following the breadcrumbs of a crime that was happening to us every day.
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