OTT record: 5 most-watched web series in India
The Indian OTT space has been shining bright like never before, and content-driven projects have taken the front seat in the past two-three years. Now, the shows are being led by A-listers from different film industries in the country, and the positive critical reception has encouraged several filmmakers and artists. Ormax Media recently dived into the viewership of these shows; here are the results.
'Farzi'
Raj & DK's recent Amazon Prime Video sensation Farzi was released in February 2023. Marking the web series debut of Vijay Sethupathi and Shahid Kapoor, it co-stars Amol Palekar and Kay Kay Menon. The scam drama has surpassed other subscription-based Hindi shows on OTT this week, per Ormax. It is estimated to be watched by approximately 37.1M people by the end of its run.
'Rudra: The Edge of Darkness'
Rudra: The Edge of Darkness marked Ajay Devgn's OTT debut and premiered on Disney+ Hotstar in March 2022. As per Ormax, it has been watched by 35.2M people so far and thus ranks in second place. It is a remake of the hit British series Luther and co-stars Esha Deol, Atul Kulkarni, and Ashish Vidyarthi, among others. The second season is in the works.
'Mirzapur Season 2'
Mirzapur Season 1 was among India's first web shows and gained a cult following due to its no-holds-barred approach to storytelling. The Prime Video show's second season was released in October 2020 and featured Ali Fazal, Pankaj Tripathi, and Divyendu Sharma, among others. The second season registered a mammoth viewership of 32.5M, while the third one is likely to be released this year.
'Panchayat Season 2'
A drama with a lot of heart, Panchayat Season 2 was released on Amazon Prime Video in May 2022. It is led by an ensemble cast of Jitendra Kumar, Neena Gupta, Raghubir Yadav, and Chandan Roy, among others. The season ended on a rather grim note and was watched by 29.6M people. It's unclear by when the third season will drop on the streamer.
'Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors'
The second Disney+ Hotstar show on this list, Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors has racked up a viewership of 29.1M. The 2020 show was fronted by Tripathi, Deepti Naval, Jisshu Sengupta, and Kirti Kulhari. It was adapted from a British series of the same name, and this season of the legal thriller has eight episodes ranging from 45-60 minutes each.
