The year’s content has experienced highs and lows, ebbs and troughs. In spite of Pathaan’s early-year success, it has been hit and miss since then (with more misses than hits). We are still waiting for 2023 to present a clear winner, despite web shows performing better and offering us another reason to stay in and turn on our screens. The shows listed below have kept us interested so far in 2023, in no particular order.
Class
Ashim Ahluwalia, the show’s creator, used humour to address serious issues including caste prejudice, drug usage, and the income divide in Netflix’s Class. The concert was both entertaining and thought-provoking, taking place in the most Darwinian of all ecosystems—high school. And unlike other television shows with young kids, Class’s young cast really helped to enhance the show.
Trial By Fire
This moving series, which is based on the 1997 Uphaar tragedy, accomplishes the crucial work of commemorating unsung heroes and recording their never-ending, soul-sucking labour for posterity. The series, which stars Rajshri Deshpande and Abhay Deol, excels in bringing solidity to even the most dejected expressions. No hysteria or sensationalising with loud chest pumping.
School of Lies
The most recent television series from director Avinash Arun, School of Lies, is a slow-burner that is impossible to forget. School of Lies, which is based on the idea that a young child has gone missing from a boarding school in a made-up hill town, initially tempts viewers with the promise of a mystery before digging into what it really wants to do: take a deep dive into trauma, parenting, abuse, guilt, and consequences. Starring Nimrat Kaur, Aamir Bashir, and Geetika Vidya Ohlyan, it was co-created by Ishani Banerjee.
Farzi
Raj and DK (Krishna DK and Raj Nidimoru) produced a taut thriller with a dash of dark humour. They introduced Shahid Kapoor’s Farzi after the success of the Manoj Bajpayee-starring television series The Family Man. The drama and comedy-filled sitcom also stars Vijay Sethupathi, Raashi Khanna, Bhuvan Arora, Kay Kay Menon, and Amol Palekar.
Scoop
A debut entry of a new franchise showcasing tales from the intriguing world of crime. The six-part series examines the inner workings of a daily newspaper, competitive relationships between journalists, journalistic ethics, and the responsibility of reporting the truth and how it might be compromised in the interest of attracting viewers. It stars Karishma Tanna with Hansal Mehta at the helm.
Jubilee
This Vikramaditya Motwane film surprised in a lot of different ways. Jubilee, which was a satire on Bollywood’s early years as India battled with the effects of the Partition, had numerous real-life allusions to help it navigate the tight line between reality and fiction. Thanks for transporting us back in time, costume and set designers for the show.
The Night Manager
Aditya Roy Kapur, Anil Kapoor, Tillotama Shome, and Shobhita Dhulipala feature in the quick-witted and glitzy drama The Night Manager. The persistent agent Lipika Rao Saikia and the vicious Shelly Rungta of Kapoor continue to be the show’s leading ladies. It moves quickly enough for you to accept the level of disbelief it requires.
