News Desk |
It looks like Bollywood is about to have as big a presence on our smaller screens as it does on the bigger ones. Recently a lot of news regarding upcoming Netflix content has been released and it seems like the who’s who of Bollywood is jumping on the Netflix bandwagon.
Most recently, Filmfare has reported that Kareena Kapoor will be starring in a Netflix original series in a role that is reminiscent of her breakout role, Poo from Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. Although it won’t be the exact role, it appears that the script featured the role as robust and fun loving as Poo which really got Kapoor’s attention.
It should be noted that if this show moves ahead then Kapoor will officially join her husband Saif Ali Khan as a Netflix star, as he is starring in his own Netflix series Sacred Games. Speaking of Khans, the Netflix craze has also interested King Khan, Shah Rukh to invest in Netflix feature films and he is set to produce a movie entitled Bard of Blood, set for a 2019 release.
Read more: Let the Games begin: Netflix releases first Indian series
Other stars producing for Netflix include Anushka Sharma, who is working on a period series entitled Bulbul. There’s no word yet on who will end up starring in what’s sure to be a prolific show. Priyanka Chopra and Madhuri Dixhit are also working on two separate projects for the mammoth streaming service.
Chopra is making Fireband, a film about the sexual assault of a successful lawyer and how she deals with it. In the post Me Too world, this Marathi film could easily become a hit for the site. Madhuri Dixit is producing a Marathi film entitled 15th August, which is a patriotic film about the struggles of middle-class Indians.
Interestingly enough Priyanka Chopra is also producing a series for American network ABC about the Madhuri Dixit herself but there’s no word yet on who will be involved in it. As the bridge between the silver and golden screen widens more and more actors from around the world are working on TV series.
Read more: Netflix opens Toronto film festival
Hollywood has readily become a place where jumping from TV and film is seamless and many A-List celebrities (such as Julia Roberts, Emma Stone, Amy Adams, Henry Cavill, Jonah Hill) have made the move to work on TV series in addition to films. Most likely we will see many A-list Bollywood stars appear in Netflix original series in the future as well.
It does make one wonder when Pakistan will start helming Netflix content. After all, our drama series are universally touted as among the best in South Asia and are already greeted with positive reception across the border. While there have been rumors recently about Netflix working out a deal with Pakistani production companies, it would no doubt help our industry greatly if this happens sooner rather than later.