Rewind 2022: 20 Best Indian web series streamed on Netflix, Prime Video, Zee5, Hotstar [see list]

During the covid pandemic, one of the most-hit industries was cinema, Thousands of theatres closed down, and from production to distribution, the entire supply chain was disrupted. But the most profitable ones in this chaos were the OTT platforms. Streaming sites gave the opportunity for a viewer to watch content beyond language and beyond boundaries. 

"India's OTT audience universe has grown rapidly since 2018, with a boost during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. In 2022, a large share of the 20 percent growth in audience base has come from rural India and small towns. The metro cities have reached saturation levels, with more than 79 percent OTT penetration," said Shailesh Kapoor, Founder & CEO, Ormax Media, a media consulting firm. With the curtains ready to come down, here we bring you a list of 20 most-loved and unique web series streamed on OTT this year.

Abhay

Where: Zee5

Language: Hindi

Cast: Kunal Kemmu, Vijay Raaz, Asha Negi, Rahul Dev, Tanuj Virwani, Divya Agarwal, Nidhi Singh and Vidya Malvade.

Director: Ken Ghosh

Plot: Abhay faces a new unknown threat, a dark force capable of exploiting anyone in the name of a twisted belief. Will Abhay win this battle with death?

Criminal Justice: Adhura Sach

Where: Disney+Hotstar

Language: Hindi

Cast: Pankaj Tripathi, Shweta Basu Prasad, Purab Kohli and Swastika Mukherjee

Director: Rohan Sippy

Plot: This courtroom drama revolves around the murder mystery of a teenage celebrity.

Dahan: Raakan Ka Rahasya

Where: Disney+Hotstar

Language: Hindi

Cast: Tisca Chopra, Saurabh Shukla, Rohan Joshi, and Rajesh Tailang 

Director: Vikranth Pawar

Plot: To redeem her career, officer Avani Raut arrives at the infamous Shilaspura to handle a case. Soon, she learns that there is more to this than meets the eye.

Delhi Crime Season 2

Where: Netflix

Language:

Cast: Shefali Shah, Rajesh Tailang, Rasika Dugal

Director: Richie Mehta

Plot: Following the police force as they investigate high-profile crimes in Delhi, this series has seasons inspired by both real and fictional events.

Duranga

Where: Zee5

Language: Hindi

Cast: Gulshan Devaiah and Drashti Dhami.

Director: Pradeep Sarkar and Aijaz Khan

Plot: Sammit is the ideal family man. What happens when his wife, inspector Ira's investigates a series of murders that leads her to him? Has Sammit been living the perfect life or the perfect lie?

Four More Shots Please: Season 3

Where: Prime Video

Language: Hindi

Cast: Sayani Gupta, Kirti Kulhari, Maanvi Gagroo, Bani J, Prateik Babbar, Neil Bhoopalam, Simone Singh, Amrita Puri, Samir Kochhar, Jiya Lakhiani.

Director: Joyeeta Patpatia

Plot: A sad goodbye, some giggles, some tears and a heavy heart. That's how we see the four girls this season. Each of them is saddled by baggage, most of which slump their shoulders and almost make them fall. All that the four of them are seeking this season is closure but sometimes the closing chapters are the most painful ones.

Gullak Season 3

Where: SonyLIV

Language: Hindi

Cast: Jameel Khan, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Vaibhav Raj Gupta

Director: Palash Vaswani

Plot: The beloved Mishra family is back with heartwarming stories.

Human

Where: Disney+Hotstar

Language: Hindi

Cast: Shefali Shah, Kirti Kulhari and Vishal Jhetwa

Director: Vipul Amrutlal Shah and Mozez Singh

Plot: A deep dive into the underbelly of human drug testing and the world of medical scams.

Karm Yudh

Where: Disney+Hotstar

Language: Hindi

Cast: Satish Kaushik, Ashutosh Rana, Paoli Dam

Director: Ravi Adhikari

Plot: It's blood vs blood at the Roy Group of Industries, and the fight for the power grab begins.

Maharani Season 2

Where: SonyLIV

Language: Hindi

Cast: Huma S Qureshi, Sohum Shah, Amit Sial.

Director: Ravindra Gautam

Plot: Set in the mid-1999, the series is inspired by real-life events Bihar Legislative Assembly election.

Modern Love: Mumbai

Where: Prime Video

Language: Hindi

Cast: Fatima Sana Shaikh, Chitrangada Singh, Arshad Warsi, Pratik Gandhi, Ranveer Brar, Masaba Gupta, Ritwik Bhowmik, Yeo Yann Yann, Meiyang Chang, Naseeruddin Shah, Wamiqa Gabbi, Bhupendra Jadawat, Dilip Prabhavalkar, Tanuja, Sarika, Danesh Razvi, Prateik Babbar, Aadar Malik, Dolly Singh

Director: Shonali Bose, Hansal Mehta, Vishal Bhardwaj, Alankrita Shrivastava, Dhruv Sehgal, Nupur Asthana

Plot: The anthology explores six unique yet universal stories of human connection and love in their varied forms.

Aasharam Season 2

Where: MX Player

Language: Hindi

Cast: Bobby Deol, Aaditi Pohankar, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Darshan Kumaar, Anupria Goenka, Adhyayan Summan.

Director: Prakash Jha

Plot: As the true face of Kashipur waale Baba Nirala unfurls, various hidden dark secrets of Aashram are discovered by Sub-Inspector Ujagar Singh and Constable Sadhu.

Panchayat Season 2

Where: Prime Video

Language: Hindi

Cast: Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta, Raghubir Yadav, Faisal Malik, Chandan Roy

Director: Deepak Kumar Mishra

Plot: What happens when an engineering graduate gets stuck in a remote village panchayat?

Recce

Where: Zee5

Language: Tamil-Telugu

Cast: Sriram, Siva Balaji, Dhanya Balakrishna, Saranya Pradeep, Rajashree, Aadukalam Naren and Ester Noronha

Director: Poluru Krishna

Plot: In Tadipatri village, sub-inspector Lenin is given the task of solving a dual murder case. His investigation leads him to the dark underbelly of familial relationships.

Rocket Boys

Where: SonyLIV

Language: Hindi

Cast: Jim Sarbh, Ishwak Singh, and Regina Cassandra.

Director: Abhay Pannu

Plot: The story of two extraordinary men, Homi Jehangir Bhabha and Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai, creating history with the country's first space program.

Rudra: The Edge of Darkness

Where: Disney+Hotstar

Language: Hindi

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Raashii Khanna and Esha Deol

Director: Rajesh Mapuskar

Plot: Super-cop Rudra Veer Singh embarks on a journey through the maze of psychotic minds.

Suzhal - The Vortex

Where: Prime Video

Language: Tamil

Cast: Kathir, Aishwarya Rajesh, Radhakrishnan Parthiban, Sriya Reddy

Director: Bramma, Anucharan M

Plot: Set against the backdrop of a unique micro-festival, ancient myths collide with the troubling present as we are drawn into the eye of the storm.

Cuttpuli

Where: Disney+Hotstar

Language: Hindi

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Rakulpreet Singh

Director: Ranjith M Tewari

Plot: Three Murders, one City, a Cop and a Serial-Killer out On the Loose!

Breathe: Into Shadows Season 2

Where: Prime Video

Language: Hindi

Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Amit Sadh, Nithya Menen

Director: Mayank Sharma

Plot: After staying dormant for three years, Avinash Sabharwal's alter ego, J, breaks out of the mental asylum to take revenge.

Vilangu

Where: Zee5

Language: Tamil

Cast: Ineya, Bala Saravanan, Munishkanth and R. N. R. Manohar.

Director: Prasanth Pandiyaraj

Plot: Paridhi, a cop undergoing a stressful personal situation, must solve a mysterious murder case that has put the police department on its toes.