Doing Indian documentaries for the first time: Netflix content head Srishti Arya

From unscripted originals to marking the web debut of Madhuri, Raveena and Sonakshi, Netflix India announces 41 titles for 2021; content head Srishti says aim is to champion diverse stories

The year gone by brought about many changes, one among them being that digital platforms became the new face of Indian entertainment. Naturally then, Netflix India is ready to go full steam ahead, giving the country’s talented storytellers the platform they deserve, thus putting Indian stories on the map. The streaming giant rolled out its 2021 slate of 41 titles — if the year ahead will see Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Raveena Tandon and Sonakshi Sinha making their web debut, it will also have familiar series like Kota Factory, Delhi Crime, Jamtara and Masaba Masaba, among others, returning with their second instalments. 

Ma Anand Sheela

For Srishti Arya, director international original film, Netflix India, the keyword this year is diversity. “We are doing Indian documentaries for the first time. [We are focusing on] unscripted stuff, especially after Fabulous Lives [of Bollywood Wives], which brought us a lot of encouragement. We are doing the Indian version of Predator, which will be a crime documentary. We also have Searching for Sheela, where we see Ma Anand Sheela returning to her country after 35 years. We’re exploring different kinds of humour through Kapil Sharma’s web show and stand-up comedy,” she says.

Haseen Dillruba

On its roster are 13 movies that include Kartik Aaryan’s Dhamaka, Taapsee Pannu’s Haseen Dillruba, Mani Ratnam’s Navrasa and Chaitanya Tamhane’s The Disciple. Having invested in anthologies right from Lust Stories (2018), Arya is particularly excited about Ajeeb Daastaans, a collection of five relationship dramas backed by Karan Johar. It stars Konkona Sensharma, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Jaideep Ahlawat, and Aditi Rao Hydari, among others. “Some stories work better in a condensed form. What is exciting for our viewers is that in an anthology, they get four viewpoints on the same material.”   

Aranyak

Dixit will foray into the web world with Finding Anamika while Tandon will play a local cop investigating a big case in Aranyak. “The idea is to do what is best for the story. When you see Madhuri’s show, she adds tremendous value to it because she is Madhuri Dixit,” states Arya. At a time when OTT platforms have truly come into their own, she asserts that the prudent move is to back stories, not stars. “Last year was a hard time for people, but it gave Netflix the opportunity to be there [for viewers]. We constantly want to find great storytellers and back their vision. We see ourselves as a champion of [powerful] stories.”

Manoj Bajpayee leads the anthology on Satyajit Ray’s short stories

Srishti Arya

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