Monika Shergill on excitement from Ba***ds of Bollywood and Saiyaara giving Netflix a ‘dream month’ | Exclusive

Netflix India VP Monika Shergill talks to Hindustan Times in an exclusive chat about their slate, avoiding repetition, and The Ba***ds of Bollywood.

It may be Indian streaming's most anticipated title in recent times. After all, it marks the debut of Shah Rukh Khan's son, Aryan Khan, and features half (almost full) of Bollywood in cameos. But if The Ba***ds of Bollywood was a reason to cheer for Netflix last month, now it may be the cherry on top of what is proving to be a blockbuster month. Saiyaara is already trending at number 1 worldwide, with Inspector Zende following closely. And there's more to come.

The Ba***ds of Bollywood and Saiyaara are arriving on Netflix within a week of each other.

On a dream September

Monika Shergill, Vice President - Content, Netflix India, describes this as the 'dream month' for the platform. “For me, the most exciting thing about this month is that we have two of the youngest breakout voices and talent, who are coming on the service in Aryan Khan and Ahaan Panday-Aneet Padda,” she says. Aryan is the showrunner of The Ba***ds of Bollywood, while Ahaan and Aneet are the leads of Saiyaara, the biggest romantic film in the history of Indian cinema.

In an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, Monika touches upon this dream September, and shares how they work hard to avoid formula. Netflix had once been accused of focusing more on stars than stories. “We have moved from the mindset of having a blockbuster title to having a blockbuster service.”

Monika Shergill is Vice President - Content at Netflix India.

Monika says, giving the example of their most recent Hindi original film - Inspector Zende. Directed by Chinmay Mandlekar, the film stars Manoj Bajpayee and Jim Sarbh in the lead roles. “It's set in Maharashtra with Manoj playing a Mumbai Police officer, but it is getting a massive response from Lucknow, Kanpur and all those markets,” Monika adds.

Avoiding formula

Monika talks about the need for fresh voices in storytelling to avoid repetition and formula in streaming. “We have had a lot of new directors and writers this year, who've come together and really made the year what it is for us. It's an absolute must to find the new voices and the really distinct, fresh talent that you have in India, because that's how you grow. Streaming needs to have that newness, the new voices, otherwise it becomes formulaic,” she says.

The remainder of September will see the arrival of the second batch of Wednesday season 2 episodes on Netflix, along with the digital release of recent Indian theatrical films like Dhadak 2 and Son of Sardaar 2.