u/DrShail

Zee5 has been regularly releasing some high quality original series, however it rarely gets the same level of visibility and acclaim as the other streaming platforms. There are some really good series which have mostly flown a bit under the radar or didnt get the level of acclaim they deserved. These are my top 10 under-appreciated and under-discussed original series that I really enjoyed and recommend to fans of their respective genres:

1. Abhay - A psychological crime thriller anthology series with some extremely dark real life case based stories with an exceptional performance by Kunal Khemu and an eclectic casting of Deepak Tijori, Chunky Pandey, Rahul Dev, Vijay Raaz etc in various episodes. Watch it if you like X Files, Delhi Crime and Luther. (IMDB Rating - 7.9/10, My Rating - 8.5/10)
2. Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt Ltd - A beautifully crafted family drama with excellent performances by Amruta Subhash and Yamini Das. Watch it if you like Gullak and Panchayat. (IMDB Rating - 8.2/10, My Rating - 8.5/10)
3. Sunflower - A very quirky, smart and funny murder mystery with a great cast of Sunil Grover, Ranveer Shori and Ashish Vidyarthi. Watch it if you like Only Murders in the Building (IMDB Rating - 7.4/10, My Rating - 8/10)
4. Kaafir - A very well made slow burn suspense thriller with good performances from Dia Mirza and Mohit Raina. Watch it if you like series like the Diplomat and Breathe. (IMDB Rating - 8/10, My Rating - 8/10)
5. State of Siege 26/11 - A very well made and gripping action thriller set during the 26/11 attacks. Watch it if you like State of Siege Temple Attack and Special Ops. (IMDB Rating - 7.9/10, My Rating - 8/10)
6. Rangbaaz - A very well crime drama featuring Saqib Saleem, Tigmanshu Dhulia and Ranvir Shorey in season 1 followed by Jimmy Shergil and Vineet Singh in subsequent seasons. Watch it if you like Khakhee: Bihar Chapter and Mirzapur. (IMDB Rating - 7.7/10, My Rating - 8/10)
7. Bhram - A very well made paranormal horror series starring Kalki Koechin, Bhumika and Sanjay Suri. Watch it if you like Baramulla and Haunting of Bly Manor. (IMDB Rating - 6.3/10, My Rating - 7.5/10)
8. The Final Call - Gripping suspense thriller with Arjun Rampal, Neeraj Kabi and Jaaved Jaffrey. Watch it if you like Hijack and Chor Nikal Ke Bhaaga. (IMDB Rating - 7.1/10, My Rating - 7.5/10)
9. Jaanbaaz Hindustan Ke - A pretty good suspense action thriller starring Cassandra Shah, Sumeet Vyas and Barun Sobti. Watch it if you like Special Ops and the Family Man (IMDB Rating - 7.1/10, My Rating - 7/10)
10. Brown - A slow burn dark murder mystery starring Karisma Kapoor. Watch it if you like Kohrra and the Sinner. (IMDB Rating - 6.5/10, My Rating - 7/10)

Which under-appreciated and under-discussed original series do you like and recommend?

Disney + Hotstar has been regularly releasing some high quality original series like Special Ops, Criminal Justice, Aarya and The Night Manager along with several official remakes and originals with big names like Rudra, The Trial and Showtime which get lot of views and acclaim. However there are some really good series which either fly a bit under the radar or dont get the level of acclaim they deserve. These are 10 such under-appreciated and under-discussed original series that I really enjoyed and recommend to fans of their respective genres:

1. The Freelancer - A gripping spy action thriller from Neeraj Pandey with a very good performance by Mohit Raina. Watch it if you like Special Ops. (IMDB Rating - 8.1/10, My Rating - 8.5/10)
2. Grahan - A very gripping crime thriller with great performances by Pawan Malhotra, Zoya Hussain and Wamiqa Gabbi. Watch it if you like Paatal Lok (IMDB Rating - 8.3/10, My Rating - 8/10)
3. Taaza Khabar - A creative and interesting thriller with a good performance from Bhuvan Bam. Watch it if you like Guns and Gulaabs and Farzi. (IMDB Rating - 8/10, My Rating - 8/10)
4. Ghar Waapsi - A very well made, slice of life, feel good family drama. Watch it if you like Gullak and Panchayat. (IMDB Rating - 8.7/10, My Rating - 8/10)
5. Home Shanti - A feel good family dramedy with great performances by Supriya Pathak and Manoj Pahwa. Watch it if you like Gullak and Panchayat. (IMDB Rating - 8/10, My Rating - 8/10)
6. Saas Bahu Aur Flamingo - A well made Crime drama with good performances by Dimple Kapadia and Radhika Madan. Watch it if you like Aarya. (IMDB Rating - 7.7/10, My Rating - 8/10)
7. Dil Bekaraar- A funny romantic comedy with good performances by Sahher Bambba, Akshay Oberoi, Raj Babbar, Poonam Dhillon and a completely hilarious and uncharacteristic foul mouthed Padmini Kolhapure. Watch it if you like Gullak. (IMDB Rating - 7.5/10, My Rating - 7.5/10)
8. Human - A pretty good medical crime thriller starring Shefali Shah and Kriti Kulhari. Watch it if you like Criminal Justice. (IMDB Rating - 7.5/10, My Rating - 7.5/10)
9. The Great Indian Murder - A pretty well made murder mystery from Tigmanshu Dhulia starring Richa Chaddha, Pratik Gandhi and Ashutosh Rana. Watch it if you like Kohrra and Criminal Justice. (IMDB Rating - 6.7/10, My Rating - 7.5/10)
10. Hostages - A pretty good remake of an Israeli thriller with good performances from Tisca Chopra and Ronit Roy. Watch it if you like series like Breathe. (IMDB Rating - 6.8/10, My Rating - 7/10)

Which under-appreciated and under-discussed original series do you like and recommend?

Netflix India has been regularly releasing some high quality original series like Mirzapur, The Family Man, Paatal Lok, Panchayat, Jubilee, Dahaad, Gram Chikitsalay and Matka King along with some quality and wacky content like Breathe, Farzi, Call Me Bae, Indian Police Force and Citadel: Honey Bunny with big names attached to them which get lot of views and acclaim. However there are some really good series which either fly a bit under the radar or dont get the level of acclaim they deserve. These are 10 such under-appreciated and under-discussed original series that I really enjoyed and recommend to fans of their respective genres:

1. Bandish Bandits - An amazing classical music based romantic drama with great performances by Naseeruddin Shah, Sheeba Chaddha and Atul Agnihotri that deep dives into the world of classical music gharanas. Watch it if you like the Disciple. (IMDB Rating - 8.6/10, My Rating - 9/10)
2. Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya - A funny and heart warming comedy drama set in a dysfunctional government school in NCR with hilarious performances by Kay Kay Menon, Abhimanyu Singh and Archana Puran Singh. Watch it if you like Panchayat and Gram Chikitsalay. (IMDB Rating - 8.2/10, My Rating - 8.5/10)
3. Mumbai Diaries - A well made Medical drama set during Mumbai attacks and floods from Nikkhil Advani with very good performances by Mohit Raina and Konkona Sen Sharma. Watch it if you like Five days at Memorial, Hotel Mumbai and The Family Man. (IMDB Rating - 8.4/10, My Rating - 8.5/10)
4. Bambai Meri Jaan - A very well made period crime thriller chronicalling Dawood Ibrahim rise to infamy with stellar performances from Kay Kay Menon, Avinash Tiwary and Saurabh Shukla. Watch it if you like movies like Khakhee, Sacred Games and Mirzapur. (IMDB Rating - 7.5/10, My Rating - 8/10)
5. The Forgotten Army - A very well made historical war drama about the Indian National Army from Kabir Khan Watch it if you like Shershaah. (IMDB Rating - 7.9/10, My Rating - 8/10)
6. Khauf - A scary horror thriller with a menacing performance from Rajat Kapoor and good leading role from Monika Panwar. Watch it if you like Paatal Lok and Suzhal. (IMDB Rating - 7.4/10, My Rating - 8/10)
7. Shaitaan Haveli - A Hilarious Meta Horror Comedy that pays tribute to Ramsay Brothers Horror movies and B Grade movie making with funny performance by the entire cast. Watch it if you like Stree, Scary Movie and Phone Bhoot. (IMDB Rating - 7.1/10, My Rating - 7.5/10)
8. Afsos - A Funny Dark Thriller starring Gulshan Devaiah. Watch it if you like Train to Busan and Rec. (IMDB Rating - 7.5/10, My Rating - 7.5/10)
9. The Last Hour - Creative supernatural crime thriller starring Sanjay Kapoor and Shahana Goswami. Watch it if you like Asur and Suzhal. (IMDB Rating - 7.1/10, My Rating - 7.5/10)
10. Hush Hush - An Interesting Crime Thriller from Tanuja Chandra starring Juhi Chawla, Soha Ali Khan and Ayesha Jhulka. Watch it if you like Kohrra. (IMDB Rating - 5.2/10, My Rating - 6.5/10)

Which under-appreciated and under-discussed original series do you like and recommend?

Netflix India has been regularly releasing some high quality original series like Sacred Games, Delhi Crime, The Railway Men, Black Warrant, Kohrra, Trial by Fire and the Railway Men along with some quality and wacky content like Mamla Legal Hai, Guns and Gulaabs, Aranyak, Heeramandi and The Ba***ds of Bollywood with big names attached to them which get lot of views and acclaim. However there are some really good series which either fly a bit under the radar or dont get the level of acclaim they deserve. These are 10 such under-appreciated and under-discussed original series that I really enjoyed and recommend to fans of their respective genres:

1. Selection Day - Coming of Sports Drama with quality performances from Mahesh Manjrekar, Ratna Pathak Shah and Rajesh Tailang. Watch it if you like movies like Iqbal and Yeh Meri Family. (IMDB Rating - 7.3/10, My Rating - 7.5/10)
2. Typewriter - Haunted House Horror Suspense Drama from Sujoy Ghosh. Watch it if you like Stranger Things. (IMDB Rating - 6.5/10, My Rating - 7.5/10)
3. Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhen - Gripping Romantic Crime Thriller starring Tahir Raj Bhasin, Shweta Tripathi, Anchal Singh and Saurabh Shukla. Watch it if you like Haseen Dilruba. (IMDB Rating - 7/10, My Rating - 7.5/10)
4. Kaala Paani - Really well made Survival Thriller Drama with exceptional performances from Sukant Goel, Mona Singh and Ashutosh Gowariker. Watch it if you like Outbreak. (IMDB Rating - 7.9/10, My Rating - 8/10)
5. Scoop - Crime Drama based on true story from Hansal Mehta starring Karishma Tanna and Mohhamed Zeeshan Ayyub. Watch it if you like Kohraa. (IMDB Rating - 7.5/10, My Rating - 8.5/10)
6. Ray - Nice quirky anthology drama based short stories from Satyajit Ray with episodes starring Kay Kay Menon and Manoj Bajpayee. Watch it if you like Satyajit Ray. (IMDB Rating - 7.1/10, My Rating - 7.5/10)
7. Betaal - Zombie Horror Thriller starring Vineet Kumar. Watch it if you like Train to Busan and Rec. (IMDB Rating - 5.5/10, My Rating - 7/10)
8. Ghoul - Zombie Horror Thriller starring Radika Apte. Watch it if you like Train to Busan and Rec.. (IMDB Rating - 7/10, My Rating - 7.5/10)
9. CAT - Gritty Crime Thriller starring Randeep Hooda and Suvinder Vicky. Watch it if you like Kohrra. (IMDB Rating - 8.1/10, My Rating - 8/10)
10. Saare Jahaan Se Accha - Nice Slow burn Spy Drama starring Pratik Gandhi, Tilotama Shome and Rajat Kapoor. Watch it if you like Special Ops. (IMDB Rating - 7.2/10, My Rating - 8/10)

Which under-appreciated and under-discussed original series do you like and recommend?

Bollywood has a rich history of actor-directors who have achieved tremendous success both as actors and directors in multiple movies. Several actor-directors started their careers as lead actors and then turned to direction while many wrote, produced and directed movies that they starred as the lead characters.

Many famous directors like Anurag Kashyap, Karan Johar, Mahesh Manjrekar, Prakash Jha and others tried their hand at acting in supporting roles on an occasional basis while some actors like Randhir Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Aamir Khan, Naseerudin Shah, Boman Irani have tried their hand at direction a movie now and then, however they have not established themselves at the same level as the greatest actor directors who delivered box office success and achieved critical acclaim as a lead actor and director.

The actor - directors who stand out for me over the decades that have delivered as director and actor are as follows:

1. Raj Kapoor - The Showman of Bollywood who directed some of the biggest blockbusters of all time like Awaara, Shree 420, Sangam, Bobby, Ram Teri Ganga Maili and also acted in some of most acclaimed roles of all time in movies like Anari, Jagte Raho, Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hain, Teesri Kasam, Mera Naam Joker along with Awaara, Shree 420 and Sangam. He won best actor 2 times and was nominated 4 more times. He won best director 4 times with 2 additional nominations. His success was not only in India but spread across the globe resulting in 2 movies that sold more than 100 million tickets worldwide along with multiple Palme d'Or nominations at Cannes
2. Guru Dutt - Dutt directed and acted in 3 of the most iconic movies of all time like Pyaasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool and Aar Paar but also directed path breaking movies like Baazi and Jaal for Dev Anand and acted in the iconic Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam before his untimely demise. His cinema is considered among some of the most influential work of the golden era.
3. Manoj Kumar - Dubbed Bharat Kumar for his patriotism themed sagas that not only topped the box office but achieved tremendous critical acclaim. Movies like Upkar, Purab Aur Paschim, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan and Kranti were among the highest grossing movies of the year that he wrote, produced and directed. He won best director 2 out of 3 times and best actor once from 4 nominations. He also acted in hit movies like Shahid, Woh Kaun Thi, Gumnaam, Beimaan, Dus Numbri and Sansayi for other directors
4. V Shantaram - There is only one actor director in India who has not only won a Golden Globe Award but also won at Cannes and Berlin for classics like Do Aankhen Barah Haath, Amar Bhoopali and Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje. Considered as one of the pioneers of Hindi and Marathi Cinema with his socially impactful and visually striking masterpieces
5. Feroz Khan - The original style icon of Bollywood was responsible for some of the slickest blockbusters of all time including musical extravaganzas like Qurbani, Jaanbaaz and Dharmatma. He also ventured across genres as an actor with commercial successes like Mela, Nagin, Apradh, Khotte Sikkay and Welcome.
6. Dev Anand - The mainstream superstar of the Golden Era's Trimurti created some of the most iconic characters of all time with movies like C.I.D., Jaal, Guide, Jewel Thief and Johny Mera Naam before turning director to make some of the finest movies of the masala era like Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Des Pardes and Prem Pujari. His dialog delivery and acting mannerisms have been often mimicked but never equaled
7. Vijay Anand - AKA Goldie Anand is often referred to as the Hitchcock of Bollywood, directed a series of hit thrillers like Teesri Manzil, Kala Bazaar, Jewel Thief, Blackmail and Chuppa Rustam along with the iconic Guide. He also established himself as a reputable actor with performances in Kora Kagaz, Haqeeqat, Main Tulsi Tere Angan Ki and detective Sam D'Silva of Tehkikaat
8. Rakesh Roshan - One of the most unlikely actors of the masala era to become one of the biggest directors of the 90s and 00s. Rakesh established himself as the leading man of movies like Khel Khel Mein, Khatta Meetha, Devta, Kaamchor and Khoobsurat before completely reinventing himself as the director of superhits and blockbusters like Khoon Bhari Maang, Karan Arjun, Koyla, Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, Koi Mil Gaya and Krrish.
9. Farhan Akhtar - The son of the legendary poet, lyricist and writer Javed Akhtar debuted as a director with the modern classic Dil Chahta followed by Lakshya and Don and then introduced himself as a singer and actor with Rock On followed by iconic performances in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Zindagi Milegi Dobaara becoming one of the rare commercially successful actor-directors of the current era
10. Nagesh Kukunoor - Hyderabad Blues, Rockford, Iqbal, Dor and Dhanak are a diverse enough list of movies that makes Nagesh standout as one of the finest directors of this millennium but also a leading man and occasional supporting actor in 3 Deewarein and Paatal lok. Winner of National and international film festival awards for his highly critically acclaimed movies
11. Sanjay Khan - The younger brother of Feroz Khan followed in his brother's footsteps to establish himself as a credible commercial actor with movies like Dosti, Mela, Dhoond, Nagin before becoming director of hits like Chandi Sona, Abdullah and the Sword of Tipu Sultan
12. Rajat Kapoor - He is probably most recognized for his supporting roles in movies like Monsoon Wedding, Mulk, Drishyam, Kapoor and Sons, Scam and Khauf but is also the director of Raghu Romeo, Fatso, Ankhon Dekhi, Kadakh and RK/Rakay. He was also the lead of offbeat movies like Bheja Fry, Phas Gaye Re Obama, Mixed Doubles, Raat Gayi Baat Gayi and RK/Rkay

Bollywood has a great history of some of the finest female character actors across the decades who have developed some of the most memorable characters that even end up outshining the lead characters of the movie with their wit, intensity, wackiness, humanity and sincerity. Legends like Lalita Pawar, Shashi Kala, Bindu, Aruna Irani, Dina Pathak, Rohini Hattangadi, Farida Jalal, Reema Lagoo and Kirron Kher are some of the finest diverse female character actors of previous decades.

These female actors started as character actors and some may have become lead actors in non mainstream cinema, however they have always stayed true to the art of creating unique characters. Lets keep this discussion focused on character actors by design and not the several lead female actors like Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Dimple Kapadia, Supriya Pathak, Konkona Sen Sharma who transformed into character actors over time.

For me the best character actors of this decade who are currently in their prime are Neena Gupta, Tilotama Shome, Radhika Apte, Seema Biswas and Ratna Pathak Shah. Which active female character actors do you think are the finest that light up the screen with their presence in the 2020s?

Bollywood has a great history of some of the finest character actors across the decades who have developed some of the most memorable characters that even end up outshining the lead characters of the movie with their wit, intensity, wackiness, humanity and sincerity. Legends like Mehmood, Om Prakash, Utpal Dutt, Asrani, Anupam Kher, Saurabh Shukla, Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey and Boman Irani are some of the finest diverse character actors of previous decades.

These actors started as character actors and some may have become lead actors in non mainstream cinema, however they have always stayed true to the art of creating unique characters. Lets keep this discussion focused on character actors by design and not the several lead actors and villains like Ashok Kumar, Pran, Amjad Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Akshaye Khanna who transformed into character actors over time.

For me the best character actors of this decade who are currently in their prime are Kay Kay Menon, Vijay Raaz, Gulshan Devaiah, Jaideep Ahlawat, Vijay Verma, Kumud Mishra and Sanjay Mishra. Which active character actors do you think are the finest that light up the screen with their presence in the 2020s?

In 1965 Bollywood legends B.R. Chopra, Bimal Roy, G.P. Sippy, H.S. Rawail, Nasir Hussain, J Om Prakash, Shakti Samanta, Subodh Mukherji and Mohan Saigal created the United Producers Organization to begin the search for the next big star during the Golden Era of Bollywood. More than 10,000 contestants participated in the All India Talent Content that was organized by United Producers and Filmfare. Several talented artists were discovered in this contest which included Subhash Ghai, Vinod Mehra, Farida Jalal, Dheeraj Kumar and others. The contest was won by an unknown upcoming actor named Jatin Khanna popularly known as Rajesh Khanna. AKA Kaka.

As his prize for winning the competition, Rajesh Khanna was offered movies by United Producers from G.P. Sippy and Nasir Hussain. However before these movies would get released Rajesh Khanna would get his first taste of cinema magic with Chetan Anand, the legendary winner of India's first and only Grand Prix (Palme d'Or) at Cannes Film Festival. Rajesh Khanna started his career in Bollywood with a small part in Chetan Anand's arthouse classic Aakhri Khat. After this unique movie received critical acclaim for its daring film making style and story, Rajesh Khanna would break into Bollywood with two successful movies from United Producers in 1967. However what was to follow was completely unexpected and unprecedented.

At the twilight of the golden era when the iconic trimurti of Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor stood in a league above all others, a new actor emerged who changed the definition of box office success, fandom and stardom. Rajesh Khanna collaborated with some of the greatest film makers of that era, the finest actresses, best music directors, lyricists and singers to create history. An unprecedented run of 17 (15 Solo) consecutive box office success over a 3 year period followed by another run of 10 hit movies over the next two years would become the reason the term Superstar got introduced in Bollywood. No actor had such a tremendous run of consecutive success before or after Rajesh Khanna. Greats like Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, SRK, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan had much longer filmographies with bigger blockbusters than Kaka but all fell short in recreating the same level of box office success that Kaka created from 1969-1973.

Kaka's movies during this period were a mix of Romance, Dramas, Thrillers, Suspense, Social Dramas, Comedies and Arthouse Cinema. Kaka's iconic onscreen pairing with Sharmila Tagore, Mumtaz, Nanda gave them more than 10 hit movies in such a short period. Legendary directors like Yash Chopra, Manmohan Desai, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Sachin Bhowmick, Asit Sen, Nasir Hussain, Ramesh Sippy, Raj Khosla, Shakti Samanta, H.S. Rawail directed some of Kaka's finest movies of this period. R.D. Burman, Kishore Kumar and Kaka created magic with iconic classics like Yeh Shaam Mastani, Chingari Koi Bhadke, O Mere Dil Ke Chain. Epic musical soundtracks by S.D. Burman, Kalyanji Anandji, Salil Choudhary, Laxmikant Pyarelal and Hemant Kumar led to iconic songs like Mere Sapno Ki Rani, Roop Tera Mastana, Kora Kagaz Tha Yeh Mann Mera, Yeh Reshmi Zulfein, Zindagi Ka Safar, Woh Shaam Kuch Ajeeb Thi, Kahin Door Jab Din Dhal Jaye, Maine Tere Liye, Mere Dil Mein Aaj Kya Hai and countless others.

Only those who have lived through this era can understand the unbelievable level of fan following that Rajesh Khanna achieved during these years. He literally had the midas touch as every movie he touched and even had cameos in became box office gold. The superstardom of Rajesh Khanna can be compared with the craze and fan following that the likes of Elvis, Beatles and Michael Jackson achieved at the heights of their respective careers. Kaka started to fall behind Bollywood's next superstar AKA Big B in the late 70s and 80s. His star may have faded over the years and most people will never be able to comprehend and appreciate Kaka's fame, style and charisma but his legacy and record will stay strong forever.