An anticipated reunion of acclaimed actress Tabu and director Vishal Bhardwaj is one of a spate of new films coming soon to Netflix. The pair, who've worked together in lauded films such as Maqbool (2003) and Haider (2013), will team up once again for the espionage thriller Khufiya, based on a book written by an Indian spy.
Bhardwaj said he flipped the gender of the protagonist in the book because he "didn't find it exciting enough", and also because it offered him the opportunity to work with Tabu again.
Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan is also all set to make her streaming debut, in acclaimed director Sujoy Ghosh's adaptation of Japanese mystery writer Keigo Higashino's The Devotion of Suspect X.
Other titles coming to the platform include Monica, O My Darling featuring powerhouse performers Rajkummar Rao, Huma S Qureshi and Radhika Apte in a neo-noir crime drama. Then there is the previously announced The Archies, the highly anticipated Indian take on the popular American comics, with a number of Bollywood star kids making their debut, including superstar Shah Rukh Khan's daughter Suhana Khan.
Here are new Indian movies and shows to look out for.
1. 'Khufiya'
Cast: Tabu, Ali Fazal, Ashish Vidyarthi and Wamiqa Gabbi
Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
Based on the novel Escape to Nowhere by the former head of India's espionage unit Amar Bhushan, this film follows operative Krishna Mehra, played by Tabu. Krishna is assigned a crucial mission which leaves her juggling between her dual identity as a spy and a lover.
Ali Fazal, Ashish Vidyarthi and Wamiqa Gabbi star alongside Tabu in this drama, which director Bhradwaj has described as a "slow-burn spy thriller".
2. 'The Archies'
Cast: Suhana Khan, Khushi Kapoor, Agastya Nanda, Mihir Ahuja, Dot, Yuvraj Menda and Vedang Raina
Director: Zoya Akhtar
As the famous gang of friends are transported to India in this official adaptation, will they become the new kids on the block? Acclaimed director Akhtar captains a number of Bollywood star kids making their film debuts, including Khushi Kapoor, the daughter of late actress Sridevi, and Agastya Nanda, the grandson of veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan.
This musical promises rebellion, friendships, first loves and everything young adult.
3. 'Monica, O My Darling'
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Huma S Qureshi, Radhika Apte, Sikandar Kher, Bagavathi Perumal, Akansha Ranjan Kapoor, Sukant Goel, Zayn Marie Khan
Director: Vasan Bala
A perfect plan that leads to mayhem in the lives of the people who laid it out, the edgy teaser for this neo-noir crime drama shows robots, blackmailers, blood and some good old-fashioned betrayal.
An ensemble cast of acclaimed actors make this an enticing one to look forward to.
4. 'Plan A Plan B'
Cast: Riteish Deshmukh, Tamannaah Bhatia, Poonam Dhillon and Kusha Kapila
Director: Shashanka Ghosh
She is a matchmaker who does not believe in marriage. He is a successful divorce lawyer with a secret. What happens when they cross paths? Deshmukh and Bhatia team up for the first time in this romantic comedy, which also features an appearance by veteran actress Poonam Dhillon.
5. 'Chakda 'Xpress'
Cast: Anushka Sharma, Renuka Shahane, Anshul Chauhan, Koushik Sen and Mahesh Thakur
Director: Prosit Roy
Sharma fronts this biopic, based on the life of Jhulan Goswami, the former captain of the Indian national women's cricket team. The film tracks her life, from her humble beginnings to her fight against misogyny, politics and discrimination, to become the highest wicket-taker in the history of women’s cricket.
6. 'Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga'
Cast: Yami Gautam, Sunny Kaushal and Sharad Kelkar
Director: Ajay Singh
This fast-paced thriller focuses on an air hostess and her businessman boyfriend who try to steal diamonds to free themselves from the clutches of a loan shark. However, the heist goes horribly wrong, when the very plane carrying the diamonds is caught up in a hostage situation.
Dubai residents will notice some familiar scenes shot in the city.
7. 'Kathal'
Cast: Sanya Malhotra, Anant Joshi, Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Yadav and Neha Saraf
Director: Yashowardhan Mishra
The title of this comedy translates to jackfruit, which is also the subject of its premise. When a local politician’s prized jackfruits go missing, it turns into a bizarre case that falls into the lap of a young and earnest police officer, played by Malhotra. The film is based on true-ish events, Netflix says.
8. 'Qala'
Cast: Triptii Dimri, Swastika Mukherjee, Babil Khan and Amit Sial
Director: Anvitaa Dutt
Announced more than a year ago, this film made news for casting Babil Khan, the son of beloved Indian actor Irrfan Khan who died at age 53 in 2020.
Set in the 1930s and late 1940s, the film tells the story of a young singer whose tragic past catches up with her, causing her to unravel at the peak of her hard-won success. But the beginning and end of her spiral is her relationship with her mother.
"Qala is a beautiful, heartbreaking story about a daughter who craves her mother's love. I am ecstatic to have such incredible actors on board and cannot wait for the world to discover the film with Tripti, Babil and Swastika," director Dutt said earlier.
9. 'The Devotion of Suspect X' (working title)
Cast: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat and Vijay Varma
Director: Sujoy Ghosh
Acclaimed director Ghosh, the man behind the path-breaking 2012 thriller Kahaani, adapts The Devotion of Suspect X, one of Higashino's best-known works. The book tells the story of a single mother who, along with her neighbour and admirer, murders her abusive ex-husband. How the pair take investigators on a wild-goose chase forms the crux of the story.
Kapoor Khan makes her streaming debut supported by beloved actor Ahlawat and Varma.
10. Rana Naidu
Cast: Rana Daggubati and Venkatesh Daggubati
Directors: Karan Anshuman and Suparn Verma
An official adaptation of the hit Showtime crime drama Ray Donovan, real-life uncle and nephew — both superstars — play father and son in this series.
Rana plays a fixer in Mumbai who arranges bribes and pay-offs for his Bollywood celebrity clients. But his job is soon tested when his estranged father, played by Venkatesh, is released from prison, with the authorities keeping a tab on his every move.
11. Class
Cast: Gurfateh Pirzada, Chintan Rachh, Naina Bhan, Chayan Chopra, Ciyawal, Anjali Sivarman, Madhyama Segal, Piyush Khati, Ayesha Kanga, Chandan Singh, Moses Koul and Zeyn Shaw
Director: Ashim Ahluwalia
Hit Spanish show Elite is getting an Indian version. Set in Delhi and revolving around the lives of the students of elite school Hampton International, this one promises a teen drama the likes of which have never been seen in India.
Elite has been a record-breaking global hit for Netflix, which was recently renewed for its sixth season, and the Indian version aims to expand the universe to new audiences. Director Ahluwalia is best known for his 2012 feature Miss Lovely.
12. Scoop
Cast: Karishma Tanna, Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub, Harman Baweja, Deven Bhojani, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Tejaswini Kolhapure
Director: Hansal Mehta
Known for his hard-hitting and acclaimed films, Mehta makes his Netflix debut with this series, based on the true story of crime journalist Jagruti Pathak, who was accused of murder and ends up in prison with many convicts she helped put behind bars.
Adapted from Jigna Vora book Behind Bars In Byculla: My Days in Prison, Mehta says the series will delve into "the human cost of stories that we consume on a daily basis".
13. Soup
Cast: Manoj Bajpayee and Konkona Sen Sharma
Director: Abhishek Chaubey
Starring two award-winning actors, this dark comedy is loosely inspired by a real-life incident about a housewife whose dreams of opening her own restaurant is thwarted by her unsupportive husband, and who cooks up a devious plan to realise her dreams.
The show promises a thrilling and murderous ride with a top notch cast.
14. Cat
Cast: Randeep Hooda
Directors: Balwinder Singh Janjua, Rupinder Chahal and Anutej Singh
Extraction star Hooda returns to the platform in this revenge drama set in the Punjab hinterlands. The action filled teaser shows the actor play an innocent man who is thrown into a deep, drug trafficking conspiracy between gang lords, cops and political powers.
“Working with Netflix is always a pleasure. I had a tremendous time during Extraction and the love it got me from around the world was phenomenal. Cat again has all the elements to appeal to a global audience," Hooda said of his series.
15: Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairy Tale
Cast: Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan
Following their star-studded wedding in June, South Indian superstar Nayanthara and director Vignesh Shivan are set to appear in a Netflix film documenting their nuptials.
Nayanthara: Beyond the Fairytale takes an intimate look at the couple's "tale of success, love and happiness", Netflix says.
In the clip, Nayanthara, who is popularly referred to as the "lady superstar" of Indian cinema, talks about her relationship with Shivan, whom she met after she appeared in his 2015 film Naanum Rowdy Dhaan.
The couple wed in the historical city of Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu in June in an early morning ritual that reportedly began at 8.10am. The ceremony was attended by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan as well as Rajinikanth, one of the biggest and most revered Indian actors. Other major stars on the guest list included actors Kamal Haasan, Chiranjeevi, Suriya, Ajith, Karthi, Vijay Sethupathi and Samantha Ruth Prabhu.
16. Guns & Gulaabs
Cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Rajkummar Rao and Adarsh Gourav
Directors: Raj and DK
From acclaimed directing duo, known for their irreverent and inventive films, comes this pulpy action-packed comedy starring top performers.
"Dark and delicious, wicked and witty, twists and turns," the directors posted, while sharing a teaser of the upcoming show. The show, whose title translates to 'guns and roses', is set in the town of Gulaabganj, where everything is not what it seems.
The makers said they'd reveal more about their latest project soon.
Release dates are yet to be announced for all titles
Top 17 new Indian shows and movies coming to Amazon Prime Video — in pictures
