The big news this month is that more than two dozen titles from production house Viacom 18 returned after having left Netflix earlier this year. In addition, Netflix debuted the Original film Raat Akeli Hai — starring indie faves Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Radhika Apte — and the Original reality dating series Indian Matchmaking, which is already generating memes galore. Here are all of the new Indian movies and TV series added to Netflix in July 2020.
N = Netflix Original
New Indian Movies on Netflix: July 2020
Penalty (2019)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 124 Minutes
Director: Shubham Singh
Cast: Lukram Smil, Kay Kay Menon, Shashank Arora, Manjot Singh
Genre: Sports | Added to Netflix: July 4
Bollywood debutant Lukram Smil plays a gifted soccer player from India’s Northeast who is subjected to racism on and off the field in Penalty. The impressive supporting cast includes Kay Kay Menon as the team’s coach and Shashank Arora and Manjot Singh as advocates for the young player’s spot on the pitch.
Aiyyaa (2012)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 151 Minutes
Director: Sachin Kundalkar
Cast: Rani Mukerji, Prithviraj Sukumaran, Nirmiti Sawant
Genre: Romantic Comedy | Added to Netflix: July 5
A woman with a wild imagination and a passion for Bollywood films falls for a hunk who smells really, really good. Aiyyaa is colorful vehicle for star Rani Mukerji’s undeniable charisma.
Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap (2011)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 116 Minutes
Director: Puri Jagannadh
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Sonu Sood
Genre: Action Comedy | Added to Netflix: July 5
How can you tell that Amitabh Bachchan is a Bollywood legend? He could still play a convincing action hero even into his late 60s, as he does in 2011’s Bbuddha Hoga Terra Baap. Bachchan plays Vijju, a flamboyantly dressed assassin hired by the mob to take out a diligent police chief. Woe unto those who dare call Vijju an “old man.”
Bittoo Boss (2012)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 117 Minutes
Director: Supavitra Babul
Cast: Pulkit Samrat, Ashok Pathak, Tanvir Singh
Genre: Romance | Added to Netflix: July 5
When a small town wedding videographer falls in love with a woman out of his league, he considers taking a morally questionable shortcut to financial success in order to impress her.
Blood Money (2012)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 109 Minutes
Director: Vishal Mahadkar
Cast: Kunal Kemmu, Amrita Puri, Manish Chaudhary
Genre: Action Thriller | Added to Netflix: July 5
Hard-working Kunal moves to Cape Town for his dream job, only to discover that his boss is smuggling diamonds illegally. Kunal wants out, but will his boss let him leave alive?
Bombay Talkies (2013)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 122 Minutes
Directors: Karan Johar, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar, Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Rani Mukerji, Randeep Hooda, Saqib Saleem
Genre: Drama, Anthology | Added to Netflix: July 5
2013’s Bombay Talkies was made to celebrate 100 years of Indian cinema. The anthology film inspired Netflix to commission two more Original movies as followups: 2018’s Lust Stories and 2020’s Ghost Stories. All three titles in the series feature the same four directors’ short films on a particular theme. Director Zoya Akhtar’s contribution to Bombay Talkies is especially enjoyable.
Boss (2013)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 138 Minutes
Director: Anthony D’Souza
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Ronit Roy, Shiv Pandit, Mithun Chakraborty
Genre: Action | Added to Netflix: July 5
Boss is haphazard mashup of an action comedy and a revenge thriller. A disappointed father calls on his estranged criminal son for help when the father’s law-abiding other son runs afoul of a crooked cop. Clever comedic sequences jump abruptly to scenes of gruesome violence, keeping this Akshay Kumar flick from ever coalescing into something that makes sense.
Budia Singh: Born to Run (2016)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 95 Minutes
Director: Soumendra Padhi
Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Mayur Mahendra Patole, Tillotama Shome
Genre: Sports Biopic | Added to Netflix: July 5
Budia Singh: Born to Run is based on the life of child marathon runner Budia Singh and his coach Biranchi Das. The film largely sidesteps the real-life criticism Das faced for the potential negative health consequences of training a five-year-old to run marathons.
Chashme Baddoor (2013)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 120 Minutes
Director: David Dhawan
Cast: Ali Zafar, Taapsee Pannu, Rishi Kapoor
Genre: Romantic Comedy | Added to Netflix: July 5
A bookish guy falls for the new girl in town, not knowing that his two crude buddies have already flirted with her and struck out. Chashme Baddoor — a reboot of 1981’s Chashme Buddoor — is a cute comedy about the way romance can interfere with friendships.
Dharam Sankat Mein (2015)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 127 Minutes
Director: Fuwad Khan
Cast: Paresh Rawal, Annu Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah
Genre: Comedy | Added to Netflix: July 5
A Hindu man named Dharampal discovers that he was adopted from a Muslim family as a child. In order to protect his biological father’s fragile health, Dharampal must learn to convincingly pass as a Muslim before he can meet his long-lost dad. This comedy about overcoming religious prejudice is an official remake of the 2010 British film The Infidel.
Drishyam (2015)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 162 Minutes
Director: Nishikant Kamat
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Shriya Saran, Tabu
Genre: Crime Thriller | Added to Netflix: July 5
A movie buff (Ajay Devgn) puts the lessons he’s learned from his favorite crime thrillers to the test when his teenage daughter is threatened by the son of the merciless police Inspector General (Tabu). The Hindi version of Drishyam is a remake of the 2013 Malayalam film of the same name.
Gabbar Is Back (2015)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 127 Minutes
Director: Krish
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Shruti Haasan, Sunil Grover
Genre: Action | Added to Netflix: July 5
A cool physics professor inspires his students to become murderous vigilantes in order to root out government corruption — and the public loves him for it! Gabbar Is Back is a mess, with a twisted sense of morality and too many useless characters.
Gollu Aur Pappu (2014)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 112 Minutes
Director: Kabir Sadanand
Cast: Vir Das, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Dimple Kapadia
Genre: Comedy | Added to Netflix: July 5
Two dim-witted brothers who accidentally wind up involved in a terrorist’s plot need to find someplace to ditch a bomb so that no one gets hurt. Gollu Aur Pappu hit theaters in 2014 with no promotions. The director and actors learned about its release in the newspaper.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6_FMGO54w0
Inkaar (2013)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 125 Minutes
Director: Sudhir Mishra
Cast: Arjun Rampal, Chritrangada Singh, Deepti Naval
Genre: Social Issue Drama | Added to Netflix: July 5
The inciting incident in Inkaar is a clear-cut case of workplace sexual harassment, but the film tries to turn it into a “he said, she said” conflict that paints the male perpetrator as the real victim of his junior co-worker’s ambitions. The movie further conveys a message that women in the workplace should be grateful that they are only being sexually harassed because what the men in their office really want to do is to hit them. It’s vile.
Madras Cafe (2013)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 128 Minutes
Director: Shoojit Sircar
Cast: John Abraham, Nargis Fakhri, Rashi Khanna
Genre: Political Thriller | Added to Netflix: July 5
John Abraham produces and stars in Madras Cafe, playing an Indian operative with post-traumatic stress disorder who struggles with his inability to save more lives during the Sri Lankan civil war. The movie is very effective at depicting the horrors of war.
Mary Kom (2014)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 119 Minutes
Director: Omung Kumar
Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Darshan Kumar, Sunil Thapa
Genre: Sports Biopic | Added to Netflix: July 5
Olympic bronze medalist Mary Kom’s titular biopic stars Priyanka Chopra as the Indian boxing legend. The movie’s climactic fight scene — in which a crisis in Kom’s personal life intersects with a critical point in her boxing career — makes this drama a worthwhile watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5yvpAatpXI&t=26s
Michael (2011)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 86 Minutes
Director: Ribhu Dasgupta
Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Mahie Gill, Sabyasachi Chakraborty
Genre: Psychological Thriller | Added to Netflix: July 5
Before Ribhu Dasgupta directed the Netflix Original crime series Bard of Blood, he wrote and directed the psychological thriller Michael. In it, Naseeruddin Shah plays a former police officer who unintentionally shot and killed a 12-year-old boy at a peaceful protest, only to be tormented by fears that his own young son will be murdered in retaliation.
Mumbai Delhi Mumbai (2014)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 107 Minutes
Director: Satish Rajwade
Cast: Shiv Pandit, Piaa Bajpai
Genre: Romantic Comedy | Added to Netflix: July 5
A young woman from Mumbai and a guy from Delhi overcome their regional differences while searching for her lost phone. Writer-director Satish Rajwade adapted Mumbai Delhi Mumbai from his own Marathi hit film: 2010’s Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai.
Oh My God (2012)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 128 Minutes
Director: Umesh Shukla
Cast: Paresh Rawal, Akshay Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty
Genre: Comedy | Added to Netflix: July 5
When an earthquake destroys Kanji’s shop and his insurance company refuses to pay under the “Acts of God” clause in his contract, Kanji takes God to court. Oh My God (aka “OMG“) is a funny, high-concept satire that takes aim at religious leaders who get rich on donations.
One By Two (2014)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 134 Minutes
Director: Devika Bhagat
Cast: Abhay Deol, Preeti Desai, Lillete Dubey
Genre: Romantic Comedy | Added to Netflix: July 5
Screenwriter Devika Bhagat takes her first turn in the director’s chair for the romantic comedy One By Two (which she wrote, naturally). Singletons Amit and Samara have miserable love lives, but they’d be perfect for each other. How long will fate keep these two strangers apart?
Players (2012)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 162 Minutes
Director: Abbas Alibhai Burmawalla & Mustan Alibhai Burmawalla
Cast: Vinod Khanna, Abhishek Bachchan, Bobby Deol, Sonam Kapoor
Genre: Heist | Added to Netflix: July 5
Players is an official remake of the 2003 version of The Italian Job, and the plot tracks closely to its source material. Abhishek Bachchan plays the leader of a team of thieves trying to steal some Russian gold bound for Romania. The action sequences are fun, and the story moves along at a good clip.
Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 (2015)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 135 Minutes
Director: Luv Ranjan
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Nushrat Bharucha, Sonalli Sehgall
Genre: Romantic Comedy | Added to Netflix: July 5
Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 is a hateful romantic comedy about three bros and their nagging girlfriends. The woman are all sexist caricatures, and the men their blameless, helpless victims.
Queen (2014)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 137 Minutes
Director: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Rajkummar Rao, Lisa Haydon
Genre: Comedy | Added to Netflix: July 5
A jilted bride from a small town in India decides to take her honeymoon to Paris and Amsterdam by herself. This fish-out-of-water story is hilarious, heartwarming, and sweet. It was a surprise box office hit when it released in theaters in 2014.
Shaitan (2011)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 126 Minutes
Director: Bejoy Nambiar
Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal, Kalki Koechlin, Gulshan Devaiah
Genre: Crime Thriller | Added to Netflix: July 5
A group of wild friends in Mumbai cause a fatal car accident. The inspecting officer demands a bribe, leading the pals to concoct a fake kidnapping scheme that makes things even more dangerous, straining their friendships.
Special 26 (2013)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 136 Minutes
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Manoj Bajpayee, Anupam Kher
Genre: Heist | Added to Netflix: July 5
The plot of Special 26 — also known as “Special Chabbis” — is based on a real-life heist from 1987. A group of crooks pose as officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to raid the homes of corrupt politicians for ill-gotten loot. But the real CBI closes in on the crew as they plan their most audacious raid yet. Will they pull it off, or will they get caught in the act?
Tanu Weds Manu (2011)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 114 Minutes
Director: Aanand Rai
Cast: Madhavan, Kangana Ranaut, Jimmy Shergill
Genre: Romantic Comedy | Added to Netflix: July 5
The commercially successful Hindi romcom Tanu Weds Manu — about the complicated courtship between a feisty Indian woman and her mild-mannered British beau — spawned a sequel as well as a Telugu remake.
What the Fish (2013)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 95 Minutes
Director: Gurmmeet Singh
Cast: Dimple Kapadia, Vishal Sharma, Sumit Suri
Genre: Comedy | Added to Netflix: July 5
Grumpy Sudha Mishra asks her niece’s fiancé Sumit to take care of her house while she’s away for a month. It’s the perfect way for Sumit to endear himself to the family. All he has to do is feed Sudha’s beloved pet fish and water her houseplants. What could go wrong?
Little Singham: Legend of Dugbakka (2020)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 68 Minutes
Director: Prakash Satam
Cast: Adityaraaj Sharma, Ganesh Divekar, Jigna Bhardwaj
Genre: Animation | Added to Netflix: July 15
The heroic kid cop Little Singham investigates a haunted house to find a ghost that may be abducting townsfolk in this movie spin-off of the animated series.
Door Ke Darshan (2020)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 134 Minutes
Director: Gagan Puri
Cast: Dolly Ahluwalia, Manu Rishi Chadha, Mahie Gill
Genre: Family Comedy | Added to Netflix: July 24
In the 30 years since his mother Darshan fell into a coma, Sunil has graduated high school, gotten married, and fathered children of his own. When Darshan suddenly wakes, Sunil’s family tries to protect her fragile recovery by pretending it’s still the late 1980s. Door Ke Darshan released theatrically in February as Doordarshan, before a lawsuit forced it to changed its title.
Project Marathwada (2016)
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 102 Minutes
Director: Bhavin Wadia
Cast: Om Puri, Seema Biswas, Kunal Sheth
Genre: Social Issue Drama | Added to Netflix: July 24
Every year, thousands of impoverished Indian farmers die by suicide. Project Marathwada follows one poor farmer on a quest for justice after his son’s death by suicide and the four student filmmakers who join the fight alongside him.
Uma Maheswara Ugra Roopasya (2020) N
Language: Telugu
Runtime: 136 Minutes
Director: Venkatesh Maha
Cast: Satya Dev, VK Naresh, Raghavan
Genre: Comedy, Drama | Added to Netflix: July 29
A humiliated photographer’s quest for revenge takes an unexpected turn when he falls in love with a pretty woman in the quirky comedy Uma Maheswara Ugra Roopasya (UMUR for short), a remake of the award-winning Malayalam film Maheshinte Prathikaaram. UMUR was supposed to release in theaters in April but opted to debut on Netflix instead.
Raat Akeli Hai (2020) N
Language: Hindi
Runtime: 149 Minutes
Director: Honey Trehan
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte, Khalid Tyabji
Genre: Crime Drama| Added to Netflix: July 31
After serving as casting director for dozens of excellent Hindi films, Honey Trehan directs his first feature for Netflix. Not surprisingly, Raat Akeli Hai has its own stellar cast, with Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the lead as a police officer who gets too involved while investigating the murder of a wealthy man. Netflix darling Radhika Apte co-stars as the dead man’s mysterious mistress.
New Indian TV Series on Netflix: July 2020
Little Singham (2020)
Language: Hindi
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 136
Cast: Swapnil Kumar, Jigna Bhardwaj, Sonal Kaushal
Genre: Animated | Added to Netflix: July 5
India’s youngest cop Little Singham is back on the beat for a second season, fighting a new crime in each 12-minute episode.
Indian Matchmaking (2020) N
Language: English
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 8
Cast: Sima Taparia
Genre: Reality, Romance, Dating | Added to Netflix: July 16
Indian Matchmaking became a huge hit on social media as soon as it premiered, providing a bingeable if problematic look into the lives of various singles trying to find “The One.” Professional matchmaker Sima Taparia tries to pair young men and women in both India and the United States with suitable partners — a challenge given the very specific demands of her clientele. (Didn’t know that Bolivia had salt flats? Then you’re not the man for Aparna.)
Which of the newly added Indian movies will you be watching? Let us know in the comments below!
