Another year, another wave and more movies going for OTT release. OTT platforms feeling the heat of censorship and pushing the schedule of web series further.
Amazon Prime Video had teased a lot of web series at the beginning of 2021. Due to censorship and other restrictions, they were able to release only one web series as per schedule. There was a period when I didn’t even log in to prime video for couple of months. In the second quarter, prime video made a strong comeback. By the end of the first half of 2021, prime video played a masterstroke with one of the much-awaited web series.
Here is my take on different web series released on Amazon Prime in the first half of 2021.
Tandav
Tandav was the first web series to release on prime video in 2021. If I am not wrong then its name was changed from Dilli to Tandav. It is a political drama that brings some veterans of the industry together. The story gets predictable in some parts but it is well made and well-acted web series. Last year, the prime video started the year with Kabir Khan and this year it’s Ali Abbas Zafar. There are some scenes and dialogues which depict the reality of our nation, I would say watch the series for that. I don’t know the status of season two but if makers decide to go for it then it will be interesting to see the plot and twists in that season.
Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare S2
Prime video made a comeback with Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare Season 2 after a dry period. It is the brainchild of Zakir Khan. A small-town political drama with some great one-liners. There is nothing new in the story but there is a charm of Zakir Khan. Zakir Khan fans will love it. Some dialogues of the series became a sensation on the internet. You can say that the series is the amalgamation of such dialogues. I applaud the effort he has put into making the series. You will instantly connect with the series because it shows the practicality and how things work in small towns. In short, it is a no-nonsense, feel-good web series that you can watch with your family.
LOL – Hasse Toh Phasse
I think this concept is taken from one foreign show ‘LOL’ or might be the producers are the same as that show. The concept is comedians are locked in one room and they have to make each other laugh to evict fellow comedians. The last man/woman standing will win the show. We Indians are habituated to watch well-written and well-rehearsed comedy shows. And this is completely impromptu where comedians make the act or joke on the spot with the given props. The makers bring together India’s top comedians and actors with great comic timing. Arshad Warsi and Boman Irani are the hosts. I would say I liked the show in parts. Though the comedians try their best, they were not successful to make the show a laugh riot.
The Last Hour
I have always heard that hills or mountains hold secrets. And prime video released a web series on that. The last hour is a thriller mystery based in the hills. It also touches on the subject of racism against people of the northeast. In the series, people from northeast possess an interesting superpower. Like every superpower, this superpower also has some drawbacks. It is a dark series as it revolves around series of murders. It is a different kind of story that will keep you hooked till the end. In parts, you will feel like this is a stereotypical love story but different angles pull the story in interesting directions. The way it has ended I feeling season 2 is on its way.
The Family Man S2
This was the masterstroke played by prime video by the end of first half of 2021. Season 2 of The Family Man was about to release in February but the restrictions and censorship delayed its release. This season lived up to the expectations created from season 1. The story of season 2 revolves around the Tamil issue and due to that, you have to watch the series with subtitles. As there are lot of scenes in which dialogues are delivered in Tamil. Manoj Bajpayee steals the show with his stunning performance. It is Manoj who picks up dull moments in the plot. All other actors around Bajpayee have done their job really well. At the end of season 2, theme of season 3 was revealed. Hopefully, it will be another exciting season.
This is how prime video has performed in the first half of 2021. Let’s see what they have in store in the second half.
