Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and chief content officer Ted Sarandos unveiled eight original films and a new series from India at an event, “See What’s Next: Asia”, in Singapore on November 9.
The film line-up included legal drama Firebrand, produced by Priyanka Chopra, and ensemble drama 15th August, produced by Madhuri Dixit, along with films directed by Sachin Kundalkar (Aiyya), Sarthak Dasgupta (The Great Indian Butterfly) and Sachin Yardi (Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum). It also included independent US-Australian production Hotel Mumbai, starring Dev Patel and Armie Hammer (see full details of Netflix Indian originals below).
Netflix also announced a new Indian original series, Typewriter, about a group of young ghost hunters, determined to capture the ghost that plagues a haunted house in their neighbourhood in Goa.
Earlier in the week, Netflix had also unveiled 17 new series from other parts of Asia at the Singapore event. These included anime spin-offs of Legendary Entertainment’s Pacific Rim movies and Netflix’s Altered Carbon series, as well as new dramas from Thailand, South Korea and Taiwan. However, Netflix appears to be focusing on anime rather than live-action series in Japan.
“The beauty of Netflix is that we can take never-seen-before stories from South Korea, Thailand, Japan, India, Taiwan or elsewhere, and easily connect them to people all over Asia and the world,” said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos.
“More than half of Asian content hours viewed on Netflix this year are viewed outside the region, so we have confidence that our upcoming slate of Asian productions will find fans in their home countries and abroad.”
NETFLIX ASIAN ORIGINALS
FILMS IN INDIAN LANGUAGES:
Chopsticks – about a girl who seeks out an enigmatic con to help recover her stolen car from a Mumbai gangster. Directed by Sachin Yardi and produced by Ashvini Yardi’s Vineyard Productions, with Mithila Palkar, Abhay Deol and Vijay Raaz heading the cast.
Bulbul – period piece produced by Anushka Sharma and Karnesh Sharma’s Clean Slate Films.
Upstarts – bromance about three college graduates from small-town India captivated by the start-up mania sweeping the country. Directed by Udai Singh Pawar and produced by Raja Menon, Janani Ravichandran and Jawahar Sharma of Bandra West Productions.
Cobalt Blue – based on the best-selling novel of the same name. Written and directed by Sachin Kundalkar.
15th August – follows the residents of a Mumbai chawl over a single day as they prepare for a flag-hoisting ceremony. Produced by Madhuri Dixit.
Music Teacher – story about an emotionally troubled music teacher and an estranged student, now a renowned Bollywood singer. Directed by Sarthak Dasgupta and starring Manav Kaul.
Hotel Mumbai – true story of the victims and survivors of the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Directed by Anthony Maras and starring Dev Patel, Armie Hammer, Nazanin Boniadi, Anupam Kher and Jason Isaacs (Netflix only has SAARC region rights).
Firebrand – story of a sexual assault victim who becomes a successful family lawyer. Directed by Aruna Raje and produced by Priyanka Chopra, with Usha Jadhav and Girish Kulkarni heading the cast.
ANIME:
Pacific Rim – original anime series that will expand on the story of the first two-live action movies. Produced by Legendary Entertainment with Craig Kyle (Thor: Ragnarok) and Greg Johnson (X-Men: Evolution) as show runners.
Altered Carbon – anime feature set in the same universe as Netflix’s live action sci-fi series. Produced by Anima and written by Dai Sato and Tsukasa Kondo.
Cagaster Of An Insect Cage – manga-based series about a mysterious disease that turns people into giant murderous insects. Produced by Gonzo and directed by Koichi Chigira.
Yasuke – a retired ronin is charged with the task of transporting a mysterious child who dark forces want to eliminate. Produced by MAPPA and directed by LeSean Thomas.
Trese – set in Manila and based on the Philippine graphic novel of the same name. Produced by Shanty Harmayn and Tanya Yuson’s Base Entertainment.
THAI-LANGUAGE:
The Stranded – a group of students are stranded on a remote island following a tsunami. Directed by Sophon Sakdaphisit and produced by GMM Grammy and H2L Media.
Shimmers – five teenagers at an isolated school are haunted by the ghosts of their pasts. Directed by Wisit Sasanatieng and Sittisiri Mongkolsiri.
CHINESE-LANGUAGE:
Triad Princess – Taiwanese series about a woman who takes on a gig as an undercover bodyguard for a famous actress. Produced by MM2 and Goodfilms Workshop and directed by Neal Wu, with Eugenie Liu and Jasper Liu heading the cast.
KOREAN-LANGUAGE:
Kingdom – second season of the show which starts streaming on January 25 and follows the mysterious death of a king and the development of a strange plague.