From ‘Heeramandi’ to ‘IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack’, Netflix India announces 2024 slate

Leading streaming platform Netflix on Thursday unveiled its upcoming slate for India that features over 22 projects, including Sanjay Leela Bhansali's debut streaming show Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, Imtiaz Ali’s Amar Singh Chamkila, and Oscar-nominated documentary To Kill A Tiger.

The slate, which was announced in Mumbai at a star-studded event called 'Next on Netflix', features a mix of movies, web series, unscripted shows, and documentaries.

Monika Shergill, Vice President, Content at Netflix India, said the streamer is looking forward to another great year after a successful 2023.

''We swept a multitude of awards, including the Oscar, the International Emmy, Busan award for 'Scoop'. On the back of a successful 2023, this year is going to be bigger and bolder. That's how we planned it.

''When you have to programme for that large an audience, it's important to programme to a wide taste... Our ambition is to super-serve the audiences and to give them all kinds of entertainment," Shergill said.

The event was attended by AR Rahman, Diljit Dosanjh, Farhan Akhtar, Sonakshi Sinha, Manisha Koirala, Richa Chadha, Taapsee Pannu, Kriti Sanon, Vijay Varma, Anubhav Sinha, Aanand L Rai, Imtiaz Ali, Guneet Monga, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Kapil Sharma, and Sunil Grover, among others.

It all started with the introduction of the characters in Bhansali's Heeramandi, featuring Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Chadha, Sharmin Segal, Aditi Rao Hydari, and Sanjeeda Shaikh.

Koirala, who is reuniting with Bhansali after his 1996 feature debut Khamoshi: The Musical, said the team tried to put its best foot forward as they were working with the master filmmaker.

''To be working with Sanjay 25 years after his first film, Khamoshi, it can't get better than 'Heeramandi'. It's been a humongous journey, I've seen him grow as an artist, as a maestro, as a genius, he is India's best,'' the actress said at the event.

The streamer is bringing the true story of the December 24, 1999 hijack of the Indian Airlines flight to screen in the form of a series titled IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack. The first glimpse of the show, directed and created by Anubhav Sinha, was revealed on Thursday.

Anubhav Sinha, known for films such as Mulk, Article 15, and Bheed, said it was a responsibility to be as authentic as possible while working on the series.

''Almost everyone remembers a few things about the hijack, and what all happened during the process, but when I started doing research, I realised it is a very complex story and a lot of things happened in those seven days, and not many people know about it.

''We have put it all in the show… We had to make it factually correct and yet dramatic and engaging,'' he said at the event.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack stars Vijay Varma, Patralekha, Pankaj Kapur, Naseeruddin Shah, Arvind Swamy, Dia Mirza, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Amrita Puri, and Anupam Tripathi.

Netflix also unveiled the first looks of Amar Singh Chamkila, Kajol and Kriti Sanon-starrer Do Patti, Farhan Akhtar-produced Dabba Cartel, Luv Ranjan's upcoming film Wild Wild Punjab, a documentary on rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh backed by Monga, comedian Sharma's show The Great Indian Kapil Show, and a docuseries on the cricketing rivalry between India and Pakistan called The Greatest Rivalry – India vs Pakistan.

The event also saw film announcements, including Neeraj Pandey's Sikandar Ka Muqaddar and Murder Mubarak, featuring Sara Ali Khan and Varma.

The streamer also shared a sneak peek into the next installment of the Taapsee Pannu-starrer movie Phir Aayi Haseen Dilruba.

Netflix's returning series titles, such as the third seasons of Fabulous Lives Vs Bollywood Wives, Jeetendra Kumar-fronted Kota Factory, Mismatched starring Rohit Saraf and Prajakta Koli, and the second season of Khakee: The Bengal Chapter, created by Pandey, and Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein, were also officially featured in the showcase.