KILLER SOUP

Playing on: Netflix

Manoj Bajpayee and Konkona Sensharma, pairing up for the first time, delivered a wild, wacky and wicked concoction with this dark comedy. Director Abhishek Chaubey went deep into his Ishqiya roots to serve up a tale of betrayal, duplicity, revenge and murder, carried out on a canvas of controlled chaos by Konkona and Manoj, in the maiden double role of his career.

Killer Soup drew from Nordic noir to Shakespeare, ’80s Bollywood kitsch to even Mani Ratnam, but remained unapologetically original through the course of its eight-episode rollercoaster ride.

GYAARAH GYAARAH

Playing on: Zee5

Delving into Dark and Black Mirror territory, this Zee5 series combined a police procedural, a time-glitch thriller and an emotional drama about love and loss into a largely compelling watch. Gyaarah Gyaarah scored in terms of its atmospherics and turned out to be an engaging effort in the space-time continuum sub-genre.

An official adaptation of the Korean series Signal and largely propelled by Carl Jung’s 11:11 theory, Gyaarah Gyaarah may have ended on a frustrating note (we keep our hopes up for Season 2), but was made watchable by its actors, primarily Kritika Kamra, Raghav Juyal and Dhairya Karwa.

HEERAMANDI

Playing on: Netflix

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s foray into long-format storytelling couldn’t have been any less dazzling than Heeramandi. It was Bhansali the aesthete who defined Heeramandi, its uneven narrative being balanced by soul-stirring acts from its strong ensemble cast led by Manisha Koirala and Sonakshi Sinha. Heeramandi, set against the backdrop of pre-Independence India, had SLB the auteur embellish his tale of intrigue, betrayal, one-upwomanship, rebellion and revenge with shine and shimmer, glimmer and gossamer. Heeramandi quickly made its way to pop-culture, spawning looks inspired from the show, a host of memes and much talk about Aditi Rao Hydari’s, playing Bibbojaan, enchanting ‘Gajagamini’ walk.

RAAT JAWAAN HAI

Playing on: SonyLIV

In the middle of the Indian web space being dominated by dark narratives and deadly mind games, SonyLIV scored with this heartwarming slice-of-life story which followed the real and relatable lives of three childhood pals navigating parenthood even as they make sure they keep their friendship going.

An instant clutter-breaker, Raat Jawaan Hai was a complex story about simple relationships as well as a simple story about complex relationships, which struck a chord with most. Barun Sobti, Priya Bapat and Anjali Anand made their characters feel like us, with the show, directed by actor Sumeet Vyas, not taking the safe route of showing relationships and friendships as being hunky-dory, but still managing to bring a smile on our faces.

TRIBHUVAN MISHRA CA TOPPER

Playing on: Netflix

Yet another clutter-breaker, this Netflix series had a superlative Manav Kaul playing an honest-to-a-fault chartered account who starts moonlighting as an escort to make some much-needed money. Peopled with quirky characters functioning in even more quirky situations, Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper was a fun watch that privileged female desire and had a strong strain of social commentary running through it, but never shoved its message down the viewer’s throat.

Playing out as a dark comedy, the series may not have fully lived up to its potential, but benefited from the presence of actors like Tillotama Shome and Shubhrajyoti Barat. The climax was one breathless ride!

POACHER

Playing on: Prime Video

Richie Mehta, the International Emmy-winning director of the first season of Delhi Crime, waded into potent waters once more with this series that spun a thriller out of the real-life menace of the poaching of tuskers in the forests of Kerala. Poacher — executive produced by Alia Bhatt — dramatised Operation Shikar, which led to one of the largest ivory seizures in the country.

Boosted by the performances of Nimisha Sajayan, Roshan Mathew, Dibyendu Bhattacharya and Kani Kusruti (who has had a dream year), Poacher stood out as a watch that made one uncomfortable and yet kept us glued to the screen. It turned out to be a winner because it was raw and authentic and pulled no punches.

RETURNING
WINNERS Mirzapur S3

Coming in with tremendous hype, season 3 of the Prime Video biggie lived up to its promise on most counts. Its new outing upped the stakes in every department, deepening the drama, strengthening the storytelling and creating compelling characters.

Panchayat S3

Prime Video’s feel-good series may have lost some of its inherent naivete, but a watch of Panchayat is welcome any day over most others. Season 3 extended its narrative and doubled its ambition but sacrificed the warmth of the small moments that made up its DNA.

Kota Factory S3

We made a trip once more to the classroom with Kota Factory finally growing up. Season 3 of the almost-cult Netflix series explored a myriad of emotions with its key players experiencing both ecstatic moments of epiphany and instances of crushing disappointment. Either way, it made for engaging storytelling, with the departure of Jeetu Bhaiya bringing a lump to every throat.

Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein S2

True to its texture, murder and mayhem, deceit and duplicity reigned supreme in the edge-of-the-seat second sesaon of this Netflix thriller series. Operating in a world similar to Sriram Raghavan’s films and with players and palette that keep one hooked, YKKA 2 has been a clear winner.