If names like Caliphate, La Casa De Papel, Borgen or Mouche sound Greek to you, it’s time to re-evaluate your digital binging quotient

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From ‘how you doin?’, we have reached a stage where the icebreaker is now ‘what are you watching?’ And if you have not watched at least a couple of series from other countries, you are already losing the conversation. There is no way of telling what exactly builds the hype around a foreign series, but every time it is mentioned in small talks with your colleagues, shows up in the trending list on your subscribed platforms or referred to in GIFs in group chats, the underlying message is ‘the world has watched it, why haven’t you?’

As we explore series from different parts of the world that have hooked Indian audiences, we also talk to celebss to know how it has helped in broadening the perspective of Indian audiences.

The trendsetters

It is not every day we get to see an Italian folk song, Bella Ciao, used in Spanish series Money Heist, getting translated into Hindi and Punjabi as protest song in India. A Salvador Dalí mask and red overalls donned by robbers in the series also created an international buzz. While the Israeli series like Hostages already adapted in India with the same name, the crime thrillers Fauda on Netflix and Tehran on AppleTV+ are popular among the millennials. Watching a series with subtitles is no longer considered a hassle. Swedish thriller Caliphate (Kalifat) to La Casa De Papel aka Money Heist, the names were changed from its regional language to universally accepted titles once OTT platforms bought their streaming rights. Polish series Sexify, which is about an app that cracks the code to female orgasms to Danish political series Borgen to Trapped, an Icelandic mystery drama, the local-language content with a global approach is the new mantra for digital platforms. While France was not able to recreate the magic of UK series Fleabag with Mouche, fictional series Lupin Season 2 and comedy drama Call My Agent have managed to grab eyeballs across the globe.

All about choices

Our very own Hathoda Tyagi from Paatal Lok, actor Abhishek Banerjee, is hooked to the Norwegian series Ragnarok, which is Norse mythology retold. He says, “It’s about choices. Earlier, we had only TV channels or theatre to watch content. World cinema or content was a privilege of cinema students or ardent cinema lovers. OTT changed that. Now, we see rankings on a particular digital platform and mostly it’s all international content in the top 10. What does it tell us? That we are dealing with a complete new set of audience, the young and innovative. They want to give everyone a chance. They are exposed to the kind of world content which we could have only dreamt of in our growing up years. You can’t fool them with the ordinary. They want to enjoy the artistic as well as the technical value of their favourite shows. It’s nice to see this acceptance. ”

Genre of their own

Yaaneea Bharadwaj, last seen in Made in Heaven, says, “When we watch different genres, we get to know their school of acting.”

However, she feels the nine emotions will always be the same in every country, no matter how different the languages and stories are. Currently watching Vikings, Yaaneea really liked the character of Ragnar and Floki. She admires the nuances, ups and downs in the storyline and adds, “It is not possible to know when a character is negative or positive. Like for Floki, the actor has played with his entire body and has used all his senses. It’s a very well-made show. ”

Universal competition

“It doesn’t matter what language the show is in, if it is saying something profound and entertaining, it will find an audience,” says Samvedna Suwalka, who is currently seen in Kaun?Who did it?. The lockdown gave Samvedna an opportunity to binge German series Dark and British series Fleabag. She says, “Dark is thrilling. But the show that has stayed with me and moved me is Fleabag. I am a Phoebe Waller-Bridge fan. I even read the play on which she based this show. ”