November sees an explosion of original content on OTT platforms

The exponential growth of smartphone users and advent of high speed inter service has led to an unprecedented growth in content consumption in the digital space. With this, OTT players are seeing an increase in viewership and subscriptions. 

Given the good traction seen for original content on OTT players, there are more frequent new releases seen, not just in Hindi and international content, but also content in various Indian languages. 

The shows on OTT platforms are increasingly spanning diverse genres – thriller, romance, comedy, drama, action and even food-related shows.  

Adgully takes a look at some of the shows that hit the digital screens in November 2017, with more to follow... 

ALTBalaji
This month, ALTBalaji had a big ticket launch with its web series, ‘Bose Dead/Alive’. Directed by Pulkit, ‘Bose Dead/Alive’ will unearth the mystery behind the enigma of Subhas Chandra Bose, whose death left people baffled for decades. Starring RajkummarRao, this show will trace the journey of the freedom fighter from being an introverted 14-year-old to a 48-year-old brave nationalist.  

Meamwhile, for the first time ALTBalaji is coming up with a Bengali web series, ‘Dhimaner Dinkaal’. Directed by Saugata Nandi, the digital show has leading Bengali actors in key roles. ‘Dhimaner Dinkaal’ is the story of an ordinary man who lives a life of simplicity, away from the madness of technology and internet. The show will explore how his life takes an unexpected turn when he is forced to embrace the new world of technology. 

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video has lined up three US originals – ‘The Climb’, ‘Love You More’ and ‘Sea Oak’ – this month. 

‘The Climb’ is created by and stars American Koko’s Diarra Kilpatrick as an office assistant in Detroit, who decides to chase the American Dream, 2017-style, by becoming an internet celebrity. 

Musical comedy ‘Love You More’ stars Patti Cake$’ Bridget Everett as a counsellor at an independent living residence for young adults with Down Syndrome, whose personality is so big she sometimes has to break out into a fantastical rock-n-roll musical number. 

‘Sea Oak’ stars Glenn Close as a lonesome, Eleanor Rigby-like woman, who comes back from the dead through sheer force of dissatisfaction to finally live the good life she never had. 

Viu
This month Viu is back with ‘Spotlight 2’. Karan V Grover is playing the lead in Vikram Bhatt’s series, where he is a young musician who is flamboyant and sees both sides of the spectrum from success to failure. The tale of his journey through the peak of his career to the downfall will be extremely interesting. 

Voot
Voot promises to bring the best of the entertainment industry and has launched ‘Time Out’ this month. It is the story of a married couple, Rahul and Radha, who are hit hard and fast on turning two to three unwarned. The series will introduce the audience to a side of urban marriages where the couple has to deal with issues of responsibility – reliability – readiness. 

Netflix
Netflix has action galore as it launches it original web series – ‘The Punisher’. Based on the Marvel Comic’s character of the same name, the American web series is produced by Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios and is a spin-off of Marvel’s Daredevil. The series revolves around Frank Castle, who uses lethal methods to fight crime as the vigilante ‘The Punisher’, with Jon Bernthal reprising the role from Daredevil. It has 13 episodes and is on Netflix since November 17, 2017. 

Rise
Ultra Shorts in association with Cheers India have come up with a mini four-part web series, titled ‘Rise’. The series features Vikrant Massey as Shrey, an IT professional who is unexpectedly laid off his job, but who exploits this fall to bounce back stronger and live up to his dreams as he embarks on an epic road trip through Mumbai and Kolkata, as also Sikkim. It is a story that most of us experience in some or the other form.