Netflix unveiled a broad slate of original programming, including movies and television series, in India on February 3, in a bid to strengthen its offerings amid the high-stakes battle in the country's video streaming market.
"It's one of our most diverse slates both in terms of the spaces, the genres, and the formats that we are covering but also the creators who are coming on the service," Monika Shergill, Vice President - Content, Netflix India, told Moneycontrol.
From classrooms to boardroom battles
Netflix India's 2026 slate comprises of 16 shows, 11 movies and two reality shows, including new releases and returning seasons of popular television series.
The lineup includes a drama series titled Hello Bachhon centred on Physics Wallah founder Alakh Pandey. The show is produced by The Viral Fever, the digital entertainment firm well-known for shows such as the entrepreneurial series Pitchers and the acclaimed dramas Kota Factory and Aspirants, which focused on the IIT and UPSC coaching cultures.
National Award-winning Indian filmmaker Hansal Mehta is also directing a business drama series titled Family Business. Starring Anil Kapoor and Vijay Varma, the show "traces a bitter power struggle between an ageing industrialist and the heir he handpicked to lead India’s most powerful business dynasty."
Netflix India's first captive reality show
Netflix is also foraying into the captive reality format with Lock Upp, created by Balaji Telefilms founder Ekta Kapoor. The show features "cancelled" celebrities who are locked away and put through "intense challenges to prove their innocence or earn redemption."
Additionally, the streaming platform is collaborating with Aatish Kapadia, best known for cult classics Sarabhai vs Sarabhai and Khichdi, for a slice-of-life series titled Chumbak. Starring Neena Gupta, Deven Bhojani, and Sumeet Raghavan, the show features five families whose lives intertwine in a close-knit Mumbai neighbourhood.
Soundarya Rajinikanth, the younger daughter of acting legend Rajinikanth, serves as the showrunner for #Love, a romantic comedy set in the world of dating apps, where "opposing beliefs around compatibility and chemistry collide- turning love itself into an experiment".
Karan Anshuman, the creator of Emmy-nominated drama film Inside Edge and popular shows like Mirzapur and Rana Naidu, is teaming up with writer Karmanya Ahuja to develop a sports thriller Glory starring Pulkit Samrat.
Operation Safed Sagar, a war drama centred on the Indian Air Force’s Golden Arrows, an underdog reconnaissance unit whose crucial role helped counter a covert incursion during the Kargil War, is also part of the lineup.
In addition, the streaming giant will release Desi Bling, a spin-off of the Netflix reality drama series Bling Empire. The show is "set in Dubai’s most exclusive Desi circles, where billionaires, Birkin bags and big egos rule."
Netflix is also bringing back new seasons of several of its popular series, such as Dhindhora S2, Kohrra S2, Maamla Legal Hai S2, and Mismatched S4.
The Great Indian Kapil Show, a weekly variety chat show by comedian Kapil Sharma, and other cast members such as Sunil Grover, Archana Puran Singh, and Krushna Abhishek, will return for a fifth season as well, the company said.
Read: Netflix, WWE bank on India’s love for drama to fuel growth
Netflix India's 2026 movie slate
In terms of movies, Netflix has collaborated with Dharmatic Entertainment for a psychological drama Accused, starring Konkana Sen Sharma; and Emmay Entertainment for Hum Hindustani, a Saif Ali Khan and Pratik Gandhi starrer drama film that chronicles India's journey to democracy.
Gandhari from the prominent Indian screenwriter and producer Kanika Dhillon, the creator of one of Netflix India's most watched movies Do Patti, Haseen Dillruba, and Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba, is also part of the lineup. The action drama film stars frequent collaborator Taapsee Pannu.
Other marquee film titles include Neeraj Pandey's Ghooskhor Pandat; Sunny Deol and Akshaye Khanna-starrer action thriller Ikka; Saif Ali Khan-starrer drama Kartavya; Madhuri Dixit and Triptii Dimri-starrer comedy thriller Maa Behen; and Rajkummar Rao and Sanya Malhotra-starrer comedy film Toaster.
Netflix is also bringing back the Emmy–nominated anthology film Lust Stories 3, helmed by Vikramaditya Motwane, Kiran Rao, Shakun Batra, and Vishal Bhardwaj.
Read: Netflix's Ted Sarandos on how AI is helping creators make better films, series
India crucial for Netflix's future growth
These announcements come as Netflix completes a decade in India, a market the streaming pioneer considers crucial for its future growth ambitions.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has previously said that India is a "big prize" because it has an enormous population of entertainment-loving people. It also comes amid a rising appetite for digital content among consumers in the world’s second-largest internet market.
In May 2025, at the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES), Sarandos said Netflix’s investments in India have generated over $2 billion in economic impact, creating 20,000 jobs, developing skills, and supporting infrastructure.
He highlighted that Indian content has gained strong global traction, accounting for 15 percent of the service’s Top 10 non-English global titles in 2024. At least one Indian title featured in the global Top 10 every week, with stories from the country reaching audiences in over 80 countries, Sarandos noted.
While Netflix no longer discloses its subscriber base, the service is said to have around 20 million subscribers in the country, according to industry estimates.
The streaming platform, however, faces stiff competition from domestic and international rivals such as JioStar's streaming platform JioHotstar, Amazon's Prime Video and Amazon MX Player, Zee Entertainment's ZEE5, Culver Max Entertainment's Sony LIV, and Apple's Apple TV+.
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