As 2024 Came to a Close Last Month, Many Publications – This one inclined – Came out with their lists of best Indian web series of the year. And while the lists differently in their rankings, one thing was common – the inclusion of shows like poacher. A Story about a Real Incident from Modern Indian History, The Story Lost in Small Columns of Newspapers for years. Because, Unlike Biopics of PMS and Cricket Stars, these stories was unheard, unheard, and forgotten until a less streaming platforms and creators briefs them back.
2025 has been on the same note with Vikramaditya Motwane’s Black Warrant. From a jailer in tihar to a station master in bhopal during the gas leak and forest officers in kerala, Indian web series are founding their heroes in places where Indian storytelling has solded The makers credit the ot boom in India for this.
Ott allows a sense of reality never seen before
Films based on real stories have been made in India before. But there used to be a capat – the names would be changed, the stories would be twisted, and a less song and dance routines would be added. In addition, most of the real-life-based stories was about Episodes from Indian History That People Alredy Knew About-Be it the 26/11 Attacks, The 1993 Bombay Blasts, or the Shootout at Lokala. Very rarely did a special 26 kind of story slip through the cracks, but again, it was hevily fiction. The ott changed that by allowing more reality.
Hansal Mehta has Told Real Stories in Netflix’s Scoop and Sonyliv’s scam franchise. The filmmaker says, “There is a different skill set involved in plotting the story and character arcs on ott. Each medium has its advantages and its own challenges. In scam 1992, there was so much material that we had to let go and leave behind a lot. Eventually, you take the decision to follow a particular journey, a particular path. “
Blending reality with fiction makes for good entertainment
Creators say that these unheard stories allows to be creative but without disturbing the reality of what happy. Since the Tales are larger unheard of, minor tweaks are unnoticed. Tanuj Chopra Directed the second season of delhi crime, narrating the manhunt behind copycat kachha baniyan dhaari robers. He says, “The way you put togeether a true crime fiction, you merge real crime events. So, everything in this story has been happy live. There is a version of this story that has been happy. It’s not about telling one singular story but about being inspired by True crime events and fusing them togeether. “
However, add filmmakers, that there is usually so much drama in these stories that need to create additional drama is minimal. The ott medium’s demand for realism helps as well. Richie mehta, the creator of Amazon Prime Video’s Poacher, Says, “I Create Shows in Conjunction with the real people. I talk to them through everything, and i do not proceed without their permission. I Never extrapolate Dramaatic High Points Beyond Reality. I won’t create a new dramatic high anywahere in the series that has an actually Occurred. The only thing I do is sometimes combine a few character in one or take backstory from one character to another. “
Platforms on the look for fresh, real stories
Streaming platforms admit that they are now looking for such stories, provided they are fresh. “God Iity. Overall, it’s about Finding that stories that will spark somebing deeper in the audience’s imagination enough to make them curious and interesting. . It pulls us into the world of Indian prisons but through the Eyes of Sunil Gupta, A Sympathetic JAILER WHO’s Striving for Reform. “
But are the platforms choosing these slightly more unknown stories deliberately? “Why Choose when there’s room for bot on netflix and for the audience?
Some Still Move cautiously
Sirf ek bandaa kaafi hai, which streamed on zee5 last year, focused on the laws who is prosecuted constructed rapist and self-proclaimed Godman Asaram Bapu. The film kept the name of the lawer – pc solanki – the same but changed others. Suparn S Varma, The Film’s Creative Producer, Says, “Legally, we are in a place where we can only do so much, so we say inspired by. We had the right to use solanki’s name, so we did. For others, we didn’t have the right to. “
Yet, Creators Say that these stories need to be about moral policing and Judgements. In Black Warrant, Vikramaditya Motwane Dealt with the Difability Task of Depicting Serial Killer Charles Sobhraj and Murderers Billa-Ranga. Some were rankled by the ‘humane’ depictions of the criminals. Motwane Says, “I don’t think it’s our job to pass judge as creaments. That’s something we leave to the audience, if at all. “That’s how it is. The story and the character are the lead to everything.
