Streaming giant Netflix, in a move to strengthen its play in the South and South-East Asia market, has announced 17 original in various stages of production which will be released over next year. As for the Indian market, the VOD platform will soon release five web series and one feature film.
The company will be releasing a feature film named ‘Rajma Chawal’ which is directed by Leena Yadav. The film is set in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk which sees a father attempting to bridge the generation gap by reaching out to his angst-ridden young son via social media. It stars Rishi Kapoor, Amyra Dastur, Aniruddh Tanwar and Aparshakti Khurana.
Rajma Chawal originally premiered at British Film Institute’s (BFI) London Film Festival in October this year. But the family dramedy has been acquired by Netflix and is now poised for a worldwide release on the on-demand-video platform.
Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos, said:
Our core belief is that great stories can come from anywhere and right now, they are also coming from Asia. Whether it is Sacred Games or Lust Stories, we are fortunate to be able to work with the best storytellers from Asia.
Great stories can come from anywhere and right now, they are coming to us from Asia. We’re removing barriers of language and fixed schedule viewing to tell stories and Asia is a unique piece of that storytelling.
Netflix’s lineup of web series comprises sports drama Selection Day co-produced by actor Anil Kapoor arriving in December; feminist drama Leila directed by Deepa Mehta, adaptations of books Midnight’s Children and Bard of Blood—the latter stars Emraan Hashmi and is co-produced by Shah Rukh Khan—and Baahubali:Before the Beginning, a spin-off of the iconic film franchise.
Netflix founder and chief executive officer Reed Hastings, said:
The third big invention in entertainment after film and television is upon us, in the form of the Internet. We try to share stories and build connections through entertainment, because the stories essentially teach us that all of us, around the world, are pretty much the same.
Apart from India, Netflix subscribers will soon have a bunch of new offerings from South-East Asia, including the company’s first Thai productions—Shimmers and The Stranded. Two Chinese projects are also underway, a female centric romantic-comedy called Triad Princess and jailbreak thriller Nowhere Man.
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