Asur, Paatal Lok, Scam 1992: Nominations for the Best Series: Hitlist OTT Awards

One of the most expensive web shows to have been mounted on a large scale, The Forgotten Army benefits from credible direction by Kabir Khan, a fine ensemble cast featuring Sunny Kaushal and Sharvari in the leads and from also being one of the few pieces of content that instills national pride without resorting to jingoistic sentiments.

Telling the story of the countrys most imfamous white-collared criminal, Scam 1992 was a rags to riches account of Harshad Mehta, an outsider who made his way into the big-bad world of stocks and what led to his eventual fall. But it was also a definitive reflection about a man caught between ambition and reality. Featuring striking performances by Pratik Gandhi and Shreya Dhanwanthary, Scam 1992 is a nationwide phenomenon that doesnt seem likely to settle down anytime soon.

Never have we witnessed such a charming portrait of rural India like we did with Panchayat. Laden with acerbic humour and striking visuals, the Jitendra Kumar-Neena Gupta-Raghubir Yadav starrer plastered wide smiles across our faces during the peak of the lockdown period.

A stellar example of brilliant storytelling, Paatal Lok on the surface may seem like an investigation of four suspects behind an attempted assassination, but the credible writing by creator Sudip Sharma ensures that we witness a spitting image of a society that is morally depraved. Featuring sterling performances by Jaideep Ahlawat, Abhishek Banerjee, Ishwak Singh, Niharika Lyra Dutt and Neeraj Kabi, Paatal Lok was a crackling thriller.

Directed by Anand Tiwari, Bandish Bandits was a largely breezy show in a year where dark took precedence. Seamlessly blending tradition into modernity, the show explores the dynamics of young hearts as well as familial equations under the eye of a staunch patriarch. A fine example of a great ensemble cast, the show boasted of one of 2020s best musical scores by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

Starring Arshad Warsi, Barun Sobti, Anupriya Goenka, Riddhi Dogra and Sharib Hashmi, Asur on Voot Select is a gripping thriller about a group of forensic scientists trying to piece together the puzzle to figure out the mysterious serial killer behind many gruesome murders. Conceptualised and written by Gaurav Shukla, and directed by Oni Sen, Asur meticulously couples mythology and forensic science to give us a show that is unsettling yet immensely satisfying.

Presenting the nominations for the Best Series at the Radio City and Mid-Day presents Hitlist OTT Awards.