Top 20
Top 20 Web Series in India to Watch
Indian web series are today’s most watched entertainment content on the internet in the form of soap operas. Although television still exists today, however, a lot is changing with time. With the introduction of the over-the-top (OTT) platform, the television market seems to be facing real competition now.
In short, an over-the-top, or OTT, is an internet-based media platform that allows us to watch daily soap operas via various online streaming channels. A few popular streaming channels or OTTs on the internet are Netflix, SonyLIV, Disney+ Hotstar, YouTube TV, Amazon Prime Video, Zee5, JioCinema, Voot, and several more that are now entering the business. These are subscription-based premium services, in which members are required to pay a certain membership fee in order to gain access to viewing media content on their channels. These channels can be accessed on desktop/laptop computers, gaming consoles, tablets, smartphones, and smart TVs.
Like many countries, in India as well, a majority of individuals spend time watching their favorite TV shows. However, these satellite television systems are connected to either cable or dish TV companies, which, unfortunately, do not broadcast web series. But, if you own a smart TV and set-top box in your home that is connected to the internet via your internet service provider (ISP), then you’re already paying for the services and therefore, can enjoy those soap operas directly on your smart TV. Or, you may subscribe for Video On Demand services, depending on the services you purchase from your provider and the features that are offered to you along with the services.
Let’s now move on to check out some of these popular Indian web series that you can watch at home or somewhere else using your internet-connected mobile phone.
20 Best Indian Web Series to Watch on Online Streaming Platforms
The following is a non-exhaustive list of the most-watched Indian web series that is gaining popularity among the audiences in the country, and perhaps, around the world as well.
1. Dhindora
Platform: YouTube
Genre: Comedy
Episode length: 25 minutes
Starring: Bhuvan Bam, Rajesh Tailang, Jeeveshu Ahluwalia, Ishtiyak Khan, Gayatri Bhardwaj, and more.
Synopsis
The Hindi-language web series Dhindora (meaning tom-timing or beating the drums) is played by the popular YouTuber Bhuvan Bam of BB Ki Vines, who is known for his multi-role comedy.
The story centers around a middle-class family comprising Babloo (father), Janki (mother), and Bhuvan (son), their everyday lives, dreams, and aspirations. But, winning a lottery jackpot leads to a series of unexpected events and depicts every common man’s dreams that are larger than life. It also shows a mirror to the general attitude and behavior of people around, even in situations of a crisis.
The web series was released in October of 2021.
2. Rocket Boys
Platform: SonyLIV
Genre: Historical Drama
Episode length: 40 minutes
Starring: Jim Sarbh, Ishwak Singh, Regina Cassandra, Rajit Kapur, Namit Das, Arun Radhakrishnan, and more.
Synopsis
The biographical web series released in February of 2022, is a story of two extraordinary men. They are Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha and Dr. Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai, who both created history while building India’s future. The events show how India launched its first space rocket mission.
The web series was released on SonyLIV, in February of 2022.
3. The Family Man
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Genre: Thriller
Episode length: 60 minutes
Starring: Manoj Bajpayee, Sharib Hashmi, Priyamani, Sanyukta Timsina, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Gul Panag, and more.
Synopsis
A man working as an intelligence officer for a special cell at the National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India is tasked to protect the nation from terrorism. However, he needs to also keep his family safe from his secretive job.
The web series was released in September of 2019.
4. Aspirants
Platform: TVFPlay
Genre: Comedy
Episode length: 45 minutes
Starring: Naveen Kasturia, Abhilash Thapliyal, Shivankit Parihar, Namita Dubey, Sunny Hinduja, and more.
Synopsis
The story follows three friends, Abhilash, Guri, and SK, who are preparing for the UPSC CSE exam (civil services examination) at Old Rajinder Nagar, Delhi. The events in the web series are centered around the past and present lives of these three individuals.
The web series was released in April of 2021.
5. Paatal Lok
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Genre: Crime Thriller
Episode length: 60 minutes
Starring: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Neeraj Kabi, Gul Panag, Swastika Mukherjee, Abhishek Banerjee, and more.
Synopsis
A down-and-out police officer lands the case when four suspects are nabbed in the assassination attempt of a journalist. However, things go wrong. The pursuit leads him to ‘Paatal Lok’ (meaning hell) and makes shocking discoveries about the past lives of the four suspects in connection to committing the crime.
It is based on the novel ‘The Story of My Assassins’ written by Tarun Tejpal. The web series was released in May of 2020.
6. Asur
Platform: Voot
Genre: Thriller
Episode length: 60 minutes
Starring: Arshad Warsi, Sharib Hashmi, Barun Sobti, Amey Wagh, and more.
Synopsis
It is a unique crime thriller show on Voot, that pits two opposing worlds against each other. The less explored, intricate world of forensic science and the deep mysticism of ancient Indian mythology. The series is set in the context of a modern-day serial killer having religious beliefs. The series was renewed for the next season.
It was released in March of 2020.
7. Kota Factory
Platform: TVFPlay, YouTube, Netflix
Genre: Comedy
Episode length: 45 minutes
Starring: Alam Khan, Jeetendra Kumar, Ahsaas Channa, Revathi Pillai, Urvi Singh, and more.
Synopsis
The story highlights the problems that the present-day IIT-JEE aspirants face in their day-to-day lives. Kota is a place in the Indian state of Rajasthan and is a popular hub for coaching centers, such as IIT.
The web series was released in April of 2019.
8. Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story
Platform: SonyLIV
Genre: Biography
Episode length: 60 minutes
Starring: Pratik Gandhi, Hemant Kher, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Satish Kaushik, and more.
Synopsis
The story is based on actual events of the 1992 Indian stock market scam committed by Harshad Mehta and several more stockbrokers in Mumbai. While it also follows the life of Harshad Mehta, a stockbroker who took the stock market to dizzying heights and his catastrophic downfall.
The web series was released in October of 2020.
9. Mumbai Diaries 26/11
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Genre: Medical Drama
Episode length: 45 minutes
Starring: Mohit Raina, Konkona Sen Sharma, Tina Desai, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Satyajeet Dubey, and more.
Synopsis
The story is set during the events of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. It follows the incidents that took place at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, the lives of the staff of the Bombay General Hospital, and their travails during the fateful night of November 26, 2008, and also a journalist who tries to report the incidents caused by the terrorist attacks.
The web series was released in September of 2021.
10. Candy
Platform: Voot
Genre: Crime Thriller
Episode length: 45 minutes
Starring: Ronit Roy, Ashish R. Shukla, Richa Chadha, Manu Rishi Chadha, and more.
Synopsis
The story takes place in a fictitious town called Rudrakund, in India’s northern region. The mysterious disappearances of school students, bullying, brutal murders, sexual assault, a demon in the woods, and a drug racket rock the sleepy, snowy town. Two police officers are given the task to investigate the disappearance of a school student, however, unsure of the fact that if it’s a man or a demonic entity that’s responsible for the crime, the thriller keeps the audience hooked.
The web series was released in September of 2021.
11. Mirzapur
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Genre: Crime Thriller
Episode length: 60 minutes
Starring: Pankaj Tripathi, Shweta Tripathy, Harshita Gaur, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, and more.
Synopsis
The story follows the rule of a Mafia don, who also happens to be the richest carpet exporter in Mirzapur, a region in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The events that take place are centered around his family, his son, in particular, and the system (law and order).
The web series was released in November of 2018.
12. Special OPS
Platform: Disney+ Hotstar
Genre: Thriller
Episode length: 60 minutes
Starring: Vinay Pathak, Kay Kay Menon, Divya Dutta, Karan Tacker, Meher Vij, and more.
Synopsis
The story is centered around a man named Himmat Singh, who is a member of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), a special operations cell. He is tasked to form a team and track down the mastermind of the terrorist attacks which took place in India.
The web series was released in March of 2020. The series has now become a franchise with a second version titled ‘Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story’, which was released on 12th November 2021.
13. Undekhi
Platform: SonyLIV
Genre: Crime Thriller
Episode length: 30 minutes
Starring: Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Surya Sharma, Harsh Chhaya, Ayn Zoya, Apeksha Porwal, and more.
Synopsis
The story is centered on two sides of the society – on one side there is a powerful and influential family that will go to any lengths to unleash a reign of terror, and on the other side, there are the oppressed who beyond torture, will not stop at bringing the powerful family to justice.
The web series was released in July of 2020.
14. Panchayat
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Genre: Comedy
Episode length: 45 minutes
Starring: Jeetendra Kumar, Raghubir Yadav, Neena Gupta, Chandan Roy, Faisal Malik, and more.
Synopsis
The story is set up in the village of Phulera in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The story depicts the struggling life of a man who is an engineering graduate but has just started his first job as a secretary for a Panchayat (meaning a self-government system usually practiced by local councils in remote villages of India) and the events that follow.
The web series was released in April of 2020.
15. Inside Edge
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Genre: Sports Drama
Episode length: 45 minutes
Starring: Vivek Oberoi, Richa Chadha, Tanuj Virwani, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Asha Saini, Sapna Pabbi, and more.
Synopsis
The story is centered around a fictitious T20 cricket team known as the Mumbai Mavericks, whose owners are accused in the act of match-fixing, and the events that follow.
The web series was released in July of 2017.
16. TVF Pitchers
Platform: TVFPlay, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Zee5, MX Player
Genre: Comedy
Episode length: 40 minutes
Starring: Naveen Kasturia, Jitendra Kumar, Arunabh Kumar, Abhay Mahajan, Maanvi Gagroo, and more.
Synopsis
The story is centered around four friends, three of which work at multinational companies and the other is an IIM graduate. The three friends one day decides to quit their present jobs and start a company of their own. Their roommate, a graduate student, also jumps in to be a part of their mission.
The web series was released in June of 2015.
17. Sacred Games
Platform: Netflix, YouTube
Genre: Crime Thriller
Episode length: 60 minutes
Starring: Saif Ali Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Pankaj Tripathi, Ranvir Shorey, Radhika Apte, Rajshri Deshpande, and more.
Synopsis
The story of this crime thriller web series shows how a police officer is challenged by an underworld criminal on the account of saving the city of Mumbai within 25 days, which is encumbered by crime and the corrupt system.
The web series was released in July of 2018.
18. Permanent Roommates
Platform: TVFPlay, YouTube, MX Player, Zee5
Genre: Comedy
Episode length: 60 minutes
Starring: Sumeet Vyas, Nidhi Singh, Deepak Kumar Mishra, and more.
Synopsis
The story is about a college-going couple, Mikesh and Tanya, who are in a long-distance relationship. However, a series of events follow when the Mikesh proposes to Tanya to marry him and to live together abroad.
The web series was released in October of 2014.
19. Aranyak
Platform: Netflix
Genre: Thriller
Episode length: 45 minutes
Starring: Raveena Tandon, Parambrata Chatterjee, Ashutosh Rana, Taneesha Joshi, Anna Ador, Zakir Hussain, and more.
Synopsis
The story follows a police investigation surrounding the murder of a young girl who visits a town in Himachal Pradesh with her mother to spend the holidays.
The web series was released in December of 2021.
20. Dude
Platform: YouTube, Zee5, JioCinema, Amazon Prime Video, Bingr
Genre: Comedy
Episode length: 30 minutes
Starring: Ambrish Verma, Arun Kushwah, Apoorva Arora, Rakesh Bedi, and more.
Synopsis
The story depicts the life and events of a detective named Dude, who will stop at nothing to find answers and the secrets of the suspects in order to solve the mysteries that haunt him.
The web series was released in February of 2021.
Conclusion
The over-the-top (OTT), also called Video-on-Demand subscription services for viewing web series in India are gaining popularity at a rapid rate, and the number of audiences is increasing, as well. The above list is only a fraction of the most-watched soap operas on the internet, and there are several more of these that are being released in the near future.
