The year 2024 saw a lot of highs and lows on OTT, which included Ananya Panday getting a new lease in her career with Call Me Bae and CTRL, to projects like IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack and Maharaj landing in legal trouble. Before the year ends, here is a list of all things that made headlines in the web world this year:
What’s in a name? Apparently, a lot
Filmmaker Anubhav Sinha’s debut OTT directorial series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack was highly praised. But it also came under the limelight for the names of the five terrorists in the real-life inspired story. The show was accused of ‘whitewashing’ the events leading to the hijack. Netflix agreed to update the series’ disclaimer to mention the real names of the hijackers after the Information and Broadcasting Ministry met them over the allegations of misrepresentation of facts.
All that three seconds can do
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairytale, the documentary on the eponymous actor got marred with controversy as its teaser featured three-seconds of BTS footage from Naanum Rowdy Dhaan (2015). Actor-filmmaker Dhanush, who backed the film, sued Nayanthara for the usage of the footage without permission, after she issued an open letter on Instagram slamming him for using his power against her and her husband, Vignesh Shivan.
The religious dilemma
Actor Aamir Khan’s son Junaid Khan’s debut film, Maharaj, made its way direct-to-OTT, without any promotion before the release. However, even with no marketing, Maharaj’s release was initially halted by the Gujarat High Court after a petition from members of the Vaishnavite Pustimargi sect raised concerns about the film’s depiction of their religious beliefs. The High Court eventually lifted the stay, allowing the film to be released on Netflix on June 21, a week after the initial planned release, asserting that the film did not target the sect as alleged.
The Diamond Bazaar went global
Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali entered the OTT space with Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, and the series earned global acclaim. It even ended up in the Top 5 most searched shows on Google worldwide in the year-end list. The series had its premiere in Los Angeles, US ahead of its May 1 release. However, it also brought in a considerable amount of trolling for actor Sharmin Segal for her acting, expressions as well as her behaviour towards her castmates during the interviews.
No place on OTT for Ekam
Actor-filmmaker Rakshit Shetty had to release his web series Ekam on his own platform after there were ‘no takers’ on other streaming giants for his show. Shetty took to X to shed light on the whole issue, and post that, several Kannada filmmakers also called out Kannada content not being getting any takers on OTT.
A reinvention for Ananya
Actor Ananya Panday had a reinvention of sorts this year thanks to the OTT platform. She first made her series debut with Call Me Bae, playing a rich spoilt brat who is left to fend for her own in Mumbai after she is exiled from her rich family. While she was garnering praise for it, she showed an intense performance just within a month as she was part of filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane’s cyberthriller, CTRL.
Entering the OTT game
India’s public broadcaster, Doordarshan, announced its entry into the OTT space in November, as they unveiled their free platform Waves at the International Film Festival of India. The platform offers content in 12+ Languages amd across 10+ Genres of Infotainment. It provides Video on demand, free-to-play gaming, Radio streaming, Live TV streaming, 65 live Channels, several App in App integrations for video and gaming content, and online shopping through Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) supported e-commerce platform.
A musical comeback for Imtiaz
Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali’s last few directorial outings hadn’t performed well commercially and critiically, including Love Aaj Kal (2020) and Jab Harry Met Sejal (2017). However, as there were doubts looming over his prowess, the filmmaker made a smashing comeback on OTT with his directorial, Amar Singh Chamkila. The film based on the eponymous artiste, featured actors Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra, was a big success and catapulted the trajectory of all three of them to newer heights.
A new venture for Kriti
Actor Kriti Sanon started on a new adventure as she turned producer with the film Do Patti. Released in October, it featured her in a double role alongside actors Kajol and Shaheer Sheikh. While the film received mixed reviews, Sanon’s performance was praised and so was her intense portrayal of domestic violence on screen.
The curious case of Kapil Sharma’s show
As the end of the first season of The Great Indian Kapil Show was announced in the first half of the year, there were reports stating that the show was axed due to low viewership. However, the team denied the rumours saying that it was meant to be just a limited episodes first season. Quashing the rumours further, it returned with a second season just a few months later in September.
Start of a new collaboration
Filmmaker Karan Johar and producer Guneet Monga Kapoor joined hands to bring some edgy content to screen, and within a span of two months, they released two projects this year. While their big screen outing Kill received unanimous acclaim, on OTT too, they started the journey on a high withh Zee5’s Gyaarah Gyaarah, which became the most-watched series on the platform, featuring actors Raghav Juyal, Kritika Kamra and Dhairya Karwa.