Real’ is the buzzword when it comes to Netflix’s new unscripted slate. The streaming giant is all set to roll out a buffet of entertainment comprising crime, drama and romance titles. While the second season of Indian Matchmaking is already streaming and Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives S2 is set to return on September 2, Netflix hopes that its upcoming titles, which are as varied as Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale, Mumbai Mafia: Police vs The Underworld, Social Currency, IRL — In Real Love and Indian Predator: Diary of a Serial Killer, will grab eyeballs and bring in the numbers. The Telegraph chatted with Tanya Bami, series head, Netflix India, to know more.
It’s quite an eclectic list of shows coming up. Season 2 of Indian Matchmaking is, of course, already streaming. How is it doing?
It’s doing very well. Sima aunty (Sima Taparia) always comes in and takes us by storm! Her genuine dedication towards her clients is amazing. I was watching it last night and even I fell into that familiar trap of binge-watching and kept saying, ‘Chalo, one more episode, one more episode!’ (Laughs) She’s amazing and the overall cast is also amazing. When Nadia’s heart breaks, I was like, ‘Oh no! This girl has a pattern.’ The show is a guilty pleasure watch, it’s one that you can’t stop watching and it’s very different kind of entertainment. It’s a real-life rom com.
The romance genre always works and when you have it playing out in real life in this form, then it gets even better. There is a reason why dating reality shows work. We have something of our own cooking called IRL (In Real Love) which is in the real love vs virtual love space. It represents the conundrum of love that lives across the world today. I think the audience will love watching IRL as much as Indian Matchmaking.
IRL — In Real Love
Raghu Ram of Roadies creating a show on love is pretty intriguing!
We have ensured that he is behind-the-scenes! (Laughs) We are using him for what he does really well... he’s a refined creator. He has created a solid franchise like Roadies, which is in its 18th season. He knows how to create that authentic sort of feeling. He really hits the pulse of people and brings out their organic nature. IRL is very different from what he has been known to do so far. We are focusing on what makes young people today question love, how it happens and how to sustain it. It’s been crafted very well and we feel it’s going to be a very, very addictive watch.
Of course, when we talk about ‘guilty pleasure’, Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives instantly comes to mind. Did the success of Season One take you by surprise?
Fabulous Lives... is a show that makes us giddy with excitement, but also very nervous. That’s because nobody ever confesses to loving it. And yet the numbers are always so different from all the chatter around it. So much so that one season was not enough... we had to get another season with these ladies (Maheep Kapoor, Bhavana Panday, Seema Sajdeh/ Khan and Neelam Kothari Soni). In Season 2, they are more mad, more fun and they really push the boundaries.... they are having fun exploring their second innings. It’s a crazy ride and as binge-worthy, if not more, than the first season.
How have you arrived at this genre mix of titles?
Unscripted is very different from scripted... it takes a long time to create. We try to keep our stories authentic, whether it’s scripted or unscripted. This mix is defined by the idea of getting out real stories in their real habitat. We have a show called Social Currency which has a set of influencers living in a bungalow for 21 days, during which they have to prove their mettle and the power of their influence. Shows like this as well as Fabulous Lives... and IRL are very difficult-to-capture stories. They have been in production for a while.
These are ideas that we believed in and which we feel are distinctive and novel and something that no other streaming platform is even venturing into. We are the frontrunners. We have had great successes with all our unscripted titles so far. I would go as far as to say Bad Boy Billionaires and House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths and now the first season of Indian Predator, all of which have been very well accepted.
Besides what we spoke about just now, we have the next season of Indian Predator coming out which is called Diary of a Serial Killer... it is a chilling watch and a deep-dive into the psyche of crime and criminals. As far as comedy is concerned, we began the year with Kapil’s (Sharma) special and there is more cooking with him. With unscripted, there is so much variety that one can pack in across the three verticals of reality, documentary and comedy.
Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale
What can you tell us about Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale? Nayanthara is such a huge star down south... she’s known as ‘Lady Superstar’ but we know so little about her beyond her movies....
The idea was to get behind the veil as much as we could. She’s such an enigma and I think everyone is so intrigued by her and her ability to be this ‘Lady Superstar’. And now she’s in the film (Jawan) with Shah Rukh (Khan). Her wedding (to director Vignesh Shivan) was a big emotional milestone for her. She’s a very private person and it’s momentous for us that she agreed to speak about her life. She’s very measured in how much she interacts, and we are so delighted that we have the opportunity to tell her story.
The Netflix US team has done similar documentaries in the past, whether it is The Last Dance or Jennifer Lopez’s Halftime and Beyonce’s Homecoming. In India, we are keen to do more personality-driven documentaries.
