(Credit: Netflix)

Wherever Netflix sets its sights, it turns out to be a showbiz gold mine. Take South Korea and Spain, for instance. From Squid Game to Money Heist, Netflix has only churned out gold so far. And when its Midas touch landed on the Indian subcontinent, fans expected nothing less, nor did the powerhouse deliver otherwise. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos might have some reservations about the streamer’s first steps in India. However, the collaboration has been a treat for the audience worldwide.

India is the epitome of diversity. As a result, Netflix’s association with India helped enlighten viewers about the nation’s rich artistic culture, history, traditions, norms, and most importantly, subversions. The country already has a well-oiled entertainment playfield, Bollywood. But when Netflix ensured a bit of Bollywood magic to seep through the cracks of its global expansion schemes, all hell broke loose.

So far, Netflix has been behind many Indian blockbusters. But Best of Netflix is here to handpick the best of the best. However, we’re not confining the titles by genre, actors, or directors. Instead, we’re presenting a mix to make your weekend a party. Expect movies that will make you laugh until your stomach hurts, but also movies that break norms and regulations.

In case you’re someone who needs a weekend flooded with streaming options, here are the five best Indian movies to catch up on.

Five Indian movies you need to stream this weekend

Bulbbul (Anvita Dutt, 2020)

The pumpkin season isn’t here. But for the horror fans, always ready for the chills, Bulbbul should be on your to-do list this weekend. Bulbbul is a Hindi-language period horror film set in a 19th-century village of Bengal Presidency. The film follows Bulbbul, who is married off to an elder, wealthy lord, Indranil, when she’s only five years old. Bulbbul initially finds a confidante in her brother-in-law Satya. But the presumptions and speculation turn out to be a nightmare for Bulbbul.

In the opening salvo, viewers can see a little girl’s feet dangling from a tree top. And the girl’s feet become symbolic throughout the movie. When Satya returns five years later, Indranil has already abandoned Bulbbul. And Mahendra has passed away after an attack from a chudail (witch), distinguished by a backward feet. But the question is: who is this chudail? The villagers have noted a pattern of attacks and it’s revealed that the chudail only kills men in order to punish them for the wrong they have done to women.

It’s safe to say that Bulbbul is more than just a horror film; it beautifully blends horror and feminism. With the film, the genre becomes a vehicle for something more profound. It’s a movie that slays patriarchy, one scream at a time.

Darlings (Jasmeet K Reen, 2022)

Terror can sometimes be heroic. And that’s what Darlings show us. It’s a black comedy film that cleverly subverts expectations, using fear to fuel a powerful narrative. Darlings revolves around a couple, Hamza Shaikh and Badru Shaikh. The film doesn’t waste time in conveying that Hamza is an alcoholic who regularly beats Badru. However, viewers shouldn’t mistake Badru as a character who’s broken. She is exactly the opposite. Driven by the motivation to make him quit drinking anyhow, Badru’s ultimate solution to the problem is to insist that they have a child.

Hamza is not really a happy-go-lucky chap. He has issues with community members, who attempt to renovate a chawl. Despite his clear instructions, when Badru attends the community meeting, she ends up being beaten black and blue. However, another character, Zulfi, who runs random errands in the chawl, files an official complaint. He makes many fake promises to get out of jail, and when he does, he comes to discover Zulfi and Badru’s role in his imprisonment. A brutal scenario unfolds, and the torture ultimately leads to a miscarriage. But the miscarriage turns out to be a revelation when Badru coils back to exact revenge.

Darlings is a story of generational trauma wrapped in a humorous but eye-opening narrative. Although it’s worlds apart from Bulbbul, they explore one thing in common: the scariest monster is the one that holds women back.

The White Tiger (Ramin Bahrani, 2021)

Based on Aravind Adiga’s 2008 novel, The White Tiger is a drama film starring Adarsh Gourav, Rajkummar Rao, and Priyanka Chopra. The film was released internationally through Netflix on January 22nd, 2021. The Oscar-nominated Indian movie follows Balram Halwai from Laxmangarh, a poor town in the Sikar district of Rajasthan, India. As a youngster, Balram was offered a scholarship to a school in Delhi. But the financial setbacks ultimately held him back.

As he dreams of becoming the village landlord’s US-return son, Ashok’s chauffeur, Balram, resorts to sly ways to ensure his promotion from a secondary to the primary driver. Unlike the others in the family, Ashok and Pinky treat Balram with well-deserved respect. Despite that, a drunk decision resulting in fatality becomes a wake-up call for Balram. Giving up his loyal ways, Balram finally resorts to cunning to escape servitude.

The White Tiger is a shining example of social mobility in a world plagued by class struggle. While some may see the highlights of moral ambiguity, Balram shows it’s the only way to survive a system that’s corrupt from the inside and out.

Jaane Jaan (Sujoy Ghosh, 2023)

Jaane Jaan, a 2023 Netflix Indian movie, is an adaptation of Keigo Higashino’s Japanese novel, The Devotion of Suspect X. It reportedly achieved a milestone for the biggest opening weekend viewership for an Indian movie on the streamer. Jaane Jaan is set against the hilly town district of Kalimpong, North West Bengal. With Kareena Kapoor Khan starring as Maya D’Souza, a single mother and cafeteria owner, Jaane Jaan is a mystery-thriller film that’s intense and raw.

Viewers might not think much of Maya at the beginning. But when she gets embroiled in a murder case, all eyes land automatically on her. The film explores human relationships via the driving forces of redemption and guilt. Right at the centre is the theme of love and sacrifice, which blurs the lines between right and wrong, and where ethics puts a question mark.

Laapataa Ladies (Kiran Rao, 2023)

To end the weekend marathon on a lighter note, we’ve saved the best for last. Laapataa Ladies is a Hindi-language comedy film. It takes place in the fictional Nirmal Pradesh in 2001. The film is practically a laughter riot, which follows Deepak, a newlywed farmer, on a train journey back to his village with his bride, Phool Kumari. However, Phool is not the only bride on the train. Several other just-married couples have boarded the train, and all the brides flaunt a red bridal saree with their faces covered with a veil.

Deepak falls asleep and wakes up almost suddenly when they’re just about to reach the destination. However, in his hurry, he rushes out with a different bride instead of Phool, leaving his own wife behind on the train. As funny as it sounds, the journey becomes a metaphor. The film brutally criticises the institution of marriage. It highlights the societal expectations and prejudices, but beautifully explores the women who discover their agency, identity, and become sisters of solidarity.