Mumbai: Netflix Inc. today announced two new Netflix original series from India; Selection Day, based on the book by acclaimed author Aravind Adiga (WHITE TIGER); and Again, a supernatural, female-led detective series set in New Delhi and written by Marisha Mukerjee (QUANTICO, JUSTIFIED).
“We are excited to be expanding our slate of originals in India. These projects have specifically local subjects, but will be great for our global audience, and are supported by world class talent.” said Erik Barmack, vice president of international original series at Netflix.
Selection Day, a compelling story of cricket and corruption, is based on Booker Prize winning author Aravind Adiga’s novel of the same name. This coming of age tale depicts the glory and rivalry in the city of Mumbai.
It may be noted that recently Amazon Prime Originals has launched a similar series based on the back-end stories of Cricketing world. It looks like Netflix is planning to pitch Selection Day as its anger to Amazon Prime India’s InsideEdge. The two international streaming giants are planning to capture a seizable chunk of digital audience share in the Indian market and it seems this will be a triggering point for a streaming war that will be on par with the ongoing channel war between GECs in various India Satellite Broadcast Business.
Manjunath Kumar, fourteen, knows he is good at cricket – if not as good as his elder brother Radha. He knows that he fears and resents his domineering and cricket-obsessed father, admires his brilliantly talented sibling and is fascinated by the world of CSI and by curious and interesting scientific facts. But there are many things about himself and about the world that he doesn’t know. When Manju begins to get to know Radha’s great rival, a boy as privileged and confident as Manju is not, everything in Manju’s world begins to change and he is faced with decisions that will change both his sense of self and of the world around him.
Selection Day will be produced in partnership with Seven Stories.
“When I first read Selection Day I was completely overwhelmed by the scale and ambition of Aravind’s vision – and moved to my core by its emotional power.….” said Anand Tucker, CEO of Seven Stories. “We are delighted to be working with Netflix on what feels like a new chapter in the age of global storytelling, and we are bowled over by Erik and his team’s passion for this story.”
Seven Stories is the UK based production company of Directors Sharon Maguire and Anand Tucker, and is part of the ALL3Media group. The book sale was brokered by Luke Speed at Curtis Brown.
Set in the busy and colourful city of New Delhi, detective series Again tells the story of a female homicide detective who must put her career and life on the line when a recent murder connects to closed cases from her past, proving she has a serial killer on her hands. As she seeks justice, the answers she uncovers along the way not only affect her life, but also challenge the faith, beliefs, and relationships of everyone surrounding her.
“When it comes to telling groundbreaking evocative stories, I cannot think of a better partner than Netflix to bring this show to India and to audiences across the globe” said Marisha Mukerjee. “Again not only speaks to my own duality and cultural heritage, but also to the universal grey that exists between life and death, where religion intersects justice.”
