Crew – Picture: Anil Kapoor Film Company / Netflix
With Indian Premier League cricket commanding so much attention domestically in May, Netflix opted to scale back the volume of its Indian content releases this month. But the new additions are all big deals, including two of the biggest Hindi box office hits of the year and Netflix’s most ambitious and costly Indian Original series yet: Heeramandi. Here are all of the new Indian movies and series added to Netflix in May 2024.
If you missed our roundup for last month – you missed seven new movies. We also published our HUGE Indian slate preview for the next year, too.
N = Netflix Original
New Indian Movies on Netflix: May 2024
Shaitaan (2024)
Languages: Hindi, Portuguese (Brazil), & Spanish (Latin America)
Runtime: 128 Minutes
Director: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Jyothika, R. Madhavan
Genre: Horror | Added to Netflix: May 3
When a stranger bewitches their teenage daughter, parents Kabir and Jyoti helplessly watch their smart, independent girl turn into someone they don’t recognize — someone who is a danger to them and to her younger brother. Shaitaan (“Devil“) is the Hindi remake of the Gujarati film Vash. Janki Bodiwala plays the daughter in both versions. The horror in this supernatural thriller is mostly psychological, with minimal gore and no jump scares. It’s overall a pretty entertaining allegory about parental anxiety over a child’s impending adulthood. Additional dialogue options can be selected in the Shaitaan‘s audio menu.
Crew (2024)
Languages: Hindi, Portuguese (Brazil), & Spanish (Latin America)
Runtime: 120 Minutes
Director: Rajesh Krishnan
Cast: Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Kriti Sanon
Genre: Comedy, Heist | Added to Netflix: May 23
Three flight attendants for a struggling airline find a way to make some quick cash by smuggling gold out of India. But when the authorities close in and their scheme goes up in smoke, the women have to make a choice: go down with their sinking employer or steal back the money they’ve earned. Kareena Kapoor Khan, Tabu, and Kriti Sanon are an ideal trio to lead this fun, accessible, and glamorous heist comedy. There’s also a cameo and songs by Amar Singh Chamkila-star Diljit Dosanjh. Additional dialogue options can be found in Crew‘s audio menu.
New Indian Series on Netflix: May 2024
Heeramandi (2024) N
Languages: Hindi, English, French, & 12 more
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 8
Cast: Manisha Koirala, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditi Rao Hydari
Genre: Historical, Romantic Drama | Added to Netflix: May 1
Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar is the first ever web series by Indian auteur filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who not only created the show but directed it, edited it, and wrote both the screenplay and all of the music. It’s also “Netflix’s biggest-budget Indian original to date,” according to Variety. That definitely shows in the production, which is grand and opulent in its recreation of courtly life in Lahore in the decades leading up to Partition (1920-1947). The story follows the lives of the courtesans living within the walls of Heeramandi, their famed beauty and skills in dance and music bringing them in close proximity to the city’s elite. A power struggle within the halls threatens their peace as the flames of revolution grow in the city outside. Fans of historical dramas will marvel at the aesthetics of this ambitious endeavor. Additional dialogue options — including a Hindi audio description track — can be found in Heeramandi‘s audio menu.
Which of these newly added Indian movies and series will you be watching? Let us know in the comments below!
