Like Netflix and Amazon, Hotstar too will produce original shows especially for the digital medium. The leading OTT platform in the country with around 150 million users per month, Hotstar will launch four new shows, produced by Applause Entertainment.
According to a report in Variety.com, the shows to be debuted under the brand, Hotstar Specials, will premiere later this March. They will stream in seven Indian languages.
Sameer Nair, the CEO of Applause Entertainment, told Variety: “Hotstar is the leader of the streaming services in India and a perfect partner for us. We hope to entertain their audiences, to contribute in a small way to help achieve their business objectives, and to ink a deeper, longer-term creative relationship with them.”
Criminal Justice will be helmed by Tigmanshu Dhulia and Vishal Furia. It will be based on BBC series, which won the BAFTA award for Best Drama Serial and was later remade into HBO’s Emmy award-winning show, The Night Of. The Indian version of Criminal Justice will star Jackie Shroff, Pankaj Tripathi, and Vikrant Massey.
Other award-winning shows getting remakes are The Office and Israeli series Hostages. The Office, which won over fans on both sides of the pond with UK and US versions, will get an Indian version as well, helmed by Rohan Sippy, Debbie Rao and Vivek Bhushan.
Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra will come onboard to direct the Indian version of Hostages. The series will star Ronit Roy, Tisca Chopra, and Parvin Dabas.
Finally, writer-director Nagesh Kukunoor will take on the political drama City of Dreams with Atul Kulkarni and Sachin Pilgaonkar will also premiere this month.