Mumbai: On Tuesday, Prime Video announced its 2024 slate of 69 titles, which includes brand new shows like Varun Dhawan’s Citadel: Honey Bunny, Ananya Panday’s Call Me Bae, and Bhumi Pednekar’s Daldal, as well as films like Abhishek Bachchan’s Be Happy and Anil Kapoor’s Subedar. The slate was announced as part of the Prime Video Presents event, which featured a slew of Hindi and South cinema stars introducing their films and shows, with filmmaker Karan Johar hosting for the majority of the evening.
The streaming service announced 27 new shows in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu, five returning series, including new seasons of Pataal Lok and Mirzapur, eight original movies, including Boman Irani’s directorial debut The Mehta Boys and Chhorii 2 with Nushrratt Bharuccha, and 29 features that will be available on Prime Video after their theatrical run.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Shahid Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan, Varun Dhawan, Ananya Panday, Pankaj Tripathi, Manoj Bajpyee, filmmakers Farhan Akhtar, Vikramaditya Motwane, Raj Nidimoru, and Krishna DK, Rohit Shetty, Rana Daggubati, Suriya, and many others were present.
“In 2023, our content broke new ground, helping India remain a global leader in new customer adoption and Prime member engagement. We are humbled by the love we have received from our customers, and we want every story on our platform to be someone’s favorite show or movie,” said Sushant Sreeram, Country Director, Prime Video, India.
“In sync with this, we are thrilled to unveil our biggest, most diverse slate till date, and are certain that our upcoming series and movies will continue to enthral audiences, not just in India but around the world,” Sreeram said in a press release.
Aparna Purohit, Prime Video’s Head of Originals for India and Southeast Asia, stated that the goal is to be a global showcase for “diverse, authentic, and rooted Indian stories that can transcend linguistic and geographical borders.”
“In just 2023, our content was watched in over 210 countries and territories in any given week and trended in the top 10 on Prime Video worldwide for 43 of the last 52 weeks,” she went on to say.
“As a home for storytellers and talent, we are also thrilled to collaborate with some of the most well-known names in Indian entertainment, empowering dynamic and new voices to tell stories that are fresh, powerful, inspiring, and entertaining. We are confident that our upcoming slate of series and films will pave the way for even more compelling Indian narratives,” Purohit stated.
The event was also attended by Fallout creator Jonathan Nolan and actor Ella Purnell, who gave the Indian audiences a sneak peek into their new show, which is based on a popular game with the same name.
Panday’s “Call Me Bae,” Varun and Samanth Ruth Prabhu’s Citadel: Honey Bunny, Daldal, which marks Pednekar’s OTT debut, Ankur Tewari and Swanand Kirkire-created Bandwale, Daring Partners starring Tamannaah Bhatia, Dil Dosti Dilemma, and >Dupahiya were among the highlights of the new original shows.
The lineup also includes Uorfi Javed’s reality show Follow Karlo Yaar, Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK’s Gulkanda Tales, Khauf, and Vijay Varma’s Matka King, directed by Nagraj Manjule.
Ma Kasum, Rangeen, The Great Indian Code, The Rana Connection, The Revolutionaries, Sooni Tarporwala’s Waack Girls, and Pritish Nandy’s Ziddi Girls round out the list.
Inspector Rishi (Tamil), Arabia Kadali (Telugu), Gangs Kuruthi Punal (Tamil), Snakes and Ladders (Tamil), and The Rana Connection, a Telugu talk show hosted by Baahubali star Rana Daggubati, are among the original series.
The streamer also announced Sivarapalli and Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam, Telugu and Tamil adaptations of the Hindi comedy-drama show Panchayat.
Among the returning titles, Prime Video teased new seasons of critically acclaimed shows Paatal Lok, Mirzapur, and Panchayat.
Paatal Lok, Bandish Bandits, and the Tamil show Suzhal – The Vortex are returning for second seasons, while Mirzapur and Panchayat will premiere their third seasons.
The eight original movies include Sara Ali Khan’s upcoming film Ae Watan Mere Watan, which is scheduled to hit the streamer’s platform on Friday, and Anil Kapoor’s Subedaar, directed by Suresh Triveni.
Remo D’Souza wrote Bachchan’s Be Happy, which focuses on the extraordinary lengths a father will go to fulfill his daughter’s dreams and find true happiness.
Boman Irani will make his directorial debut with The Mehta Boys, which he co-wrote with Oscar-winning screenwriter Alex Dinelaris.
The lineup includes Reema Kagti’s directorial efforts Supermen of Malegaon and Chhorii 2, as well as Telugu films Cheekati Lo and Uppu Kappu Rambu.
Shahid Kapoor will star in Ashwatthama: The Saga Continues, a new action film that will be available for streaming on Prime Video after it opens in theaters.
The film, directed by Kannada filmmaker Sachin B Ravi, is one of 29 major releases that will be available for streaming on Prime Video after their theatrical runs.
The list includes Sriram Raghavan’s Ikkis, Stree 2, Ranveer Singh’s Don 3, Kartik Aaryan’s Chandu Champion, Kanguva starring Suriya, Rishab Shetty’s Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1, Baaghi 4, Housefull 5, and Shoojit Sircar’s next film.
The lineup includes Rahul Dholakia’s Agni, Vicky Kaushal and Triptii Dimri’s Bad Newsz, Vijay Deverakonda’s Family Star, Ram Charan’s Game Changer, Ground Zero, Madgaon Express, Yudhra, Yodha, Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, and Ustaad Bhagat Singh.