Five long days of the ‘usual’ more than ten hours work per day, along with the other ‘usual’ shenanigans of an unhappy boss. Your tired soul is only waiting for those magical two days to arrive and save you from the prolonged torture and bring the happy pause – the weekend.
What a dramatic start to an article! You must be thinking that, but I had to. The beginning of a weekend marks the happiness of a ‘corporate’ parched soul, who is either waiting to unleash his unfound inner energy to the weekend parties or want to cocoon himself aloof at home, cozily relaxing under a blanket and bingeing on the ultimate millennial happiness ‘Netflix’. We agree or not, Netflix has a huge role to play in our ‘looking forward to’ phrases. Wherever you go and whatever you do, social media and these online entertainment platforms never make you ‘unhappy’ if you are running out of company during your weekends. And, ‘Netflix’ is something else – it is a ‘one stop shop’ to all your entertainment needs – be it a series, movies, documentaries, mini-series, celebrity shows, stand up comedies, and it goes on.
There are so many things to watch and other so many new shows, series and movies coming up, that you lose track of what’s actually ‘trending’ now. ‘Netflix’ has burst the bubble, by aiming to get bigger using its original content focused towards millennials and the internet consuming urban-audience. India saw a massive rise in Netflix binge-watching this year. Indians binge watch faster, around three days than the global average of 4 days (source: www.indiantelevision.com), which speaks volumes of how much a person who works hard the whole week is ‘looking forward’ to a Netflix weekend. So, without discussing further how Netflix has changed our lives, let’s look at 10 Netflix shows that you can binge watch the coming weekend – tea, rain, snacks and Netflix.
1) Sacred Games
Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Saif Ali Khan, this thriller have the old charms of Anurag Kashyap’s creativity and the fresh unfelt crisps of Vikramaditya Motwane’s storytelling, that gives it an urban thriller experience with a touch of the 70’s era. Uniquely talented artists bring alive all the unknown characters of the series in a very unusual way, right from the beginning of the series – the first episode and the opening scene – keeping the audience hooked to the show directly from the start. This show tops my list of 10 best Netflix series/movies because it keeps your eyes and mind focussed to the show, keeping you awake. Significant and very addictive series and if you are a thriller lover, this Indian thriller series (and the rumour has it that there’s a second part coming up soon!) will make your weekend eventful and very entertaining. Tick off this series from your binge-watching shows, and if it does not exist in your list, then I will recommend considering refreshing your list to add this one.
2) You
Love, as you may have always imagined – something pure, beautiful, organic, and most of all, simple – turns out to be the most complicated truth of your life. What will you do, when you don’t understand the motives of the person you actually love the most, or maybe you think you, love? Does it scare you to know love can stalk you as well and if need be then kill you? Well, this series is all about love in a way that creeps you and scares you from within. When a beautiful first encounter of Joe and Beck, quickly turns into something more nefarious, just because Joe develops a lethal strong liking for Beck, things go dangerous, and the rest of the thrills should only be watched and not revealed. Binge on this stalker-love thriller from Netflix, and remember to keep an eye on who is watching ‘you’.
3) 13 Reasons Why
‘Why would a dead girl lie?’ A thought that crosses your mind, when you watch a recorded film of someone narrating their story of depression due to the traumas they faced when they lived, but being falsified by others. Can anyone lie before they are willing to die? This highly controversial series deals with depression, bullying, rape, suicide and other sorts of mental and physical traumas that a girl faces in a high school. If you are an overthinker, then you should avoid this series, as this will leave an imprint on you more than anyone else. But if you take life as it is and you are a very optimistic person, then you might be able to watch this, reason with this and try to judge the decision taken by the protagonist (like I did, because I am an optimist). Binge on this series, only if you are in a healthy state of mind and can take life very positively.
4) Black Mirror
Every episode is a new story but carries the same theme of sci-fi. This anthology series explores a twisted, labyrinthine future where humanity’s greatest innovations collide with its own darkest instincts. The series claims this and much more in its original, thought-provoking and unique storytelling episodes with unusual twists and stunning ends. They have used technology in the best way possible to showcase the paranoia, with each story exploring the anxiety of a human mind in this world. Binge on this series as it brings out the tapestry of future and today’s stand-alone stories that thrills you perplexes you, but are crisp and full of satire.
5) Little Things
Let’s take a U-turn from thriller, depression, sci-fi and turn our steering wheel towards the beautiful things that we know and think about – love, with the flavour of living in. This mini-series showcases the everyday life of a young couple who are very much in love, and they live together, without getting married. This series has two seasons, and most of us will be able to relate to the fights, love-making, eating, and sleeping habits of our partners. Binge on this series to relish and re-live the sweet moments of love, brought to you by this next door couple. Do not miss this guys!
6) To all the boys I have loved before
Let’s keep the wheel on the same road and talk a little more about love, but high school love. A Netflix original movie, this is sure to take you to your high school days and force you to remember that girl, who secretly loved your boyfriend. A unique high-school story, where a girl writes letters to her crushes but never posts them, gets released and posted to each of the boys. So what happens then? Does she accept one of them or it all turns out to be a crazy romcom? Binge this when you are in the mood for a high school memory lane visit.
7) Love per square foot
Though keeping on the same road, let’s enter a different lane of Indian romcoms. An old tale of love, marriage and then home – ah! boring. What if the house is on some lottery, for which you need to fall in love and then marry? Will, you find that true love to get married for your dream home, or will you be a scam artist? Binge on this refreshing and humorous romcom to relax and scare away all your tensions.
8) Lust stories
Four stories – different characters – a linked theme of love and lust. All the stories shed light on modern relationships from the viewpoint of the Indian woman. The oozing sensuality that the word ‘lust’ has in it is often viewed or reciprocated as not an openly talked about feeling. Well! The needs of a human body are very primal and labelling them with ‘good’, ‘bad’ and ‘immoral’ are immature and insensible. Binge on this anthology of stories that bring out what lust actually feels like. It tries to convey that it’s not uncommon but a fundamental and familiar feeling that is felt.
9) Chopsticks
A very quirky short film combining a lot of different characters with sky-high ambitions, yet realistic mind, leading very different lives. How they cross each other’s path because of one incident, becomes the whole essence of the movie. Beautifully written, with the story coming across very crisp and clear, leaving no confusion about the characters as well as the message it wants to depict. Humour, simplicity, the whims and fancies of different societal levels is what the short film is all about. Binge on it and forget about everything. Relax and maybe enjoy this with noodles and dumplings!
10) Selection Day
How can we not talk about Cricket? Well, no better way to feel connected with this sport than by watching this series. The World Cup is going on, and this show displays the crisps and minute details of the game with all the other associations that come without asking – good, bad or worst. The series is about two brothers who came to Mumbai with their father. He dreams his sons to be playing for the country one day. In this hope, he brings them to Mumbai before the trials for the Harris Shield Cricket tournament. In a country, where Cricket is not a sport, but a religion, this series speaks a lot about the faith, entwined with the lives of many characters who willingly or unwillingly get associated with Cricket. Binge on this series and cheer for our country, this World Cup! India India!
