You need an OTT watchlist to tide over this Covid-19 period.
You are tired of messages on social media. You do not know what to believe. The news on Television is repeating the same things. Few of the news channel has a Janat Curfew timer as if at the end of the day Coronavirus will be dead. Brands are still thinking about how it will impact their end results.
The basic survival instinct is kicking in. Everyone slowly coming to understand that is is all-in kind of situation. Coronavirus and Covid-19 seem to be that much nearer.
Today is Sunday, only a few of us are WFH ( Working from home). And we all have the wonderful device called Mobile supported with the slow but cheapest data rates.
OTT Will Gain Numbers And Numbers.
Not surprising media gurus expect a massive jump in OTT viewing. Soon, there is going to be an abundance of time and not much to do. The lovely feeling of care-familiarity and togetherness will start being tested. Chats and calls with friends, relatives and colleagues will also decrease. And then the OTT Watchlist will be needed.
WFH Will Provide For Self Time.
We would want to be left alone seeking some me-time. This will not be spent thinking of the future that is unfolding uninvited. Sleep could be missing and messing up with schedules. Remember, we all still will be working from home.
At home, no-one will understand the need for sleep. However, everyone will understand the need to relax and be entertained. No one will think twice seeing others engaged with their mobiles. They too will be slave of their screen. OTT will slowly come to your rescue during this period of restricted movements, space and interdependence.
OTT is a highly personalised viewing experience. The engaged audience with or without Bluetooth symbolic screams ‘I don’t want to be disturbed’. Remember, earlier, newspapers did the same job for the CWE ( Chief Wage Earner) in Tier-II and III towns. The invisible shield. And each of us with our own OTT Watchlist.
OTT May Be The Saviour During Covid-19 Restlessness.
If one has not yet experienced the joy of OTT, they will do so during this period with or without free subscription on Mobile or TV screen. All free OTT platforms will be downloaded to on Mobile further cluttering the space. However, sooner or later, you get addicted to two or three OTT providers. slowly you will curate your OTT Watchlist. It may be influenced by the choice of genre or the sheer expanse of Content.
This Covid-19 era experience will impact the post-Covid-19 OTT numbers and dominance in this hyper-competitive industry. New learnings and insights on the genre, duration, content interest, regionalisation and languages usage will be identified. Some on-line research company could be doing a qualitative deep-dive into understanding Media Usage during the Covid-19 period. It can be an excellent PhD Thesis subject.
New Content?
So you have the Smart Mobile, cheap data and OTT subscription. In the next few weeks, limited new Content is expected to be released. It may force us to view already existing Content.
Even if you have been viewing Content like an addict on OTT, there is more than enough to choose. And, if you are being initiated to this beautiful world, well you could be confused about what to watch.
We will experiment and experience. We will watch and discard Content. We may get deeply engaged and binge-watch few. But, it is absolutely crazy out there. OTT platform is Content loaded. It is tough to decide what to watch. The question remains, what to watch. Here, I am going to stick my neck out and suggest the Content to watch. The OTT Watchlist.
My OTT Bias?
I am an ALT-Balaji and Netflix fan. As an avid follower of media
and content development I have most of the OTT platforms like ZEE5, Aarey, Amazon Prime Videos, Voot, Sony Liv, Eros, Hot Star, Mxm on my Mobile. However, Netflix, with its strong content serving has not allowed me to cheat and check other OTT platforms. There is, in fact, a backlog of downloads to watch and a wishlist to download. And hence this is my recommended OTT Watchlist.
MOVIES on Netflix.
Movies are an essential and integral part of the Content. Personally, I still try catching movies on the big screen. However, if you have missed them, now is the time to catch up. Here are three sets to start.
Set 1: ‘Queen’, ‘Tanu Weds Manu’, ‘Tum Milo Toh Sahi’, ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’, ‘Once again’, ‘The Body’, and ‘Bombay Talkies’.
Set 2: ‘Lunchbox’, ‘Made in China’, and ‘Hazaro Khwaishein Aise’.
Set 3: ‘Drishyam’, ‘Andhadhun’, ‘Badla’, ‘Baazaar’, ‘Pink’, ‘Article 15′, ‘Pihu’, and ‘Stree’.
Documentaries On Netflix.
If documentaries interest you, go ahead and watch ‘Ramdev’, ‘Wild wild country’ and ‘Bikram’. In the current situation, you may want to watch ‘Pandemic’: How to prevent an outbreak; based on the Influenza outbreak 100 years ago.
Binge Watching Episodes On Netflix.
Watch ‘Ghoul’, it is good. Radhika Apte as Nida Rahim in it is superb. It keeps you engaged and gripped till the very end. Definitely watch ‘Jamtara’, it is a somewhat unique storyline and is well handled. And watch ‘Delhi Crime’, based on Nibhaya case which concluded with the hanging of the four rapiest. It is fabulous.
Others to watch are ‘Leila’, ‘Stranger Things’, ‘The Strangers’, ‘Sacred Games’- I ( forget the season –II). and ‘Secret Obsession’. If interested in Horror or paranormal- do watch Typewriter.
If you ask me for ONE thing to watch, I would say watch ‘MONEY HEIST’. I loved this one. Simply superb and very engaging. It is like a chess game, and you pick your sides. The thieves or the police.
Watch ‘Narcos’, Season I and II. By the time you finish the season –II, you too will start thinking differently. And to keep this taste alive, do not watch any more of it.
My Wish List On Netflix.
I have a long wish list; The Sky is Pink, Qarib Qarib Single’ Locked Key’, ‘ByPass Road’, ‘Bird Box’, ‘Fifty Shades Freed’ and ‘Game’ ( Only For Kangana Ranaut). Any input on these would be welcome. I will take some time to watch these. There is hardly any travel nowadays and the time at home is being used in completing my next book in romance; Enchanting Neeli
What To Avoid.
These I watched and I recommend that you do not add them to your OTT Watchlist.
Avoid ‘Little Things’, though I like the lead actress and she is so bubbly, the whole setup is too mushy for me. You may watch with your boyfriend or girlfriend for fun.
Do yourself a big favour. Do not watch ‘The Zoya Factor’, ‘Dil Dhadkane Do’, ‘Motichoor Chaknachur’, ‘Shimla Ki Mirchi’, ‘Luka Chuppi’, ‘Phantom’, or ‘Guilty’. You don’t have to watch it just because it is there. Every Content need not be experienced and experimented with. That is for people like me.
Totally avoid ‘Amit Tandon’, he loses charm after first 15 minutes of ‘I care a damn if you are engaged or not’ look on his face. I hated it and could not ask myself to watch it completely. You may try and let me know, how long could you bear his insane inane statements masquerading as a comedy in the name of entertainment.
Some Skin On Netflix.
There is enough Content with a lot of skin on Netflix and any other OTT Platform. Soft-porn is scattered. The basic idea is to get the cast in bed at some pretext or other.
Go ahead and watch ‘Sex Education’ and ‘Lust Stories’. These have some story and they are decent enough. Don’t waste your time on ‘Friends With Benefits’, ‘No Strings Attached’, ‘Addicted’, and ‘Easy’.
AMAZON PRIME VIDEOS
On Amazon prime do watch ‘Breathe’, ‘MirzaPur’, ‘Mind the Malhotras’, ‘The Family Man’. You may enjoy and try ‘Four More Shots’
In case you missed watching ‘Raazi‘, ‘Trapped’, ‘Padmavati’, ‘Jab We Met’, ‘Inception’, ‘The Conjuring’, ‘Gravity’, ‘One Night Stand’, ‘Pet Cemetary’, ‘Contagion’, and ‘The Wolf On wall Street’, on the big screen, catch them on Amazon Prime Videos. And if you love comedy, do watch ‘Herapheri’ one more time.
ALTBALAJI WATCHLIST
On Alt Balaji watch ‘Gandi Baat’ all four seasons. Caution, these are true Balaji production style and some could question your understanding of sex, skin and erotica. I do think, Alt Balaji has done wonderfully well in creating these stories. They are just there, take you that far and no further. Someday they will be referred to as pioneers in syndicated skin show.
Watch ‘DEV-D’. To get a flavour of Bhojpuri style watch ‘Vardiwala Hero’. Relive Govinda Magic in ‘Kyo Ki Mai Jhoot Nahi Bolta’. In movies watch ‘Once Upon A Time in Mumbai’, ‘Shor In The City’, And ‘Ragini MMS’, and’ Verdict- State Vs Nanavati’.
……………………………….
The titles in BOLD are something I wish you to watch. I have watched every content recommended here. BLOG/21/2020
.
