A Big Shock For Netflix

Later last year, Amazon Prime Video rolled out an anthology titled Putham Pudhu Kaalai. The anthology is compilation of stories directed by top filmmakers like Sudha Kongara, Karthik Subbaraj, Gautham Vasudev Menon, and others. It had garnered a relatively good response from Tamil and Telugu audiences alike.

Another OTT giant, Netflix then released its own original anthology titled Paava Kadhaigal which was an even bigger success than Putham Pudhu Kaalai. Paava Kadhaigal features Sai Pallavi, Anjali, Kalki Koechlin, Kalidas Jayaram and others in the lead roles. It too was lapped up by Tamil and Telugu audiences.

Drawing inspiration from the success of the anthologies in the Indian OTT market, Netflix produced ‘Navarasa’, which can be termed the most exciting anthologies in regional web space. The anthology is created by Mani Ratnam and it features top stars like Suriya, Vijay Sethupathi, and others in important roles.

However, Navarasa which released amid high anticipation turned out to be a dud. The 9-part anthology had 2-3 arguably good episodes but as a collective unit, it couldn’t meet the expectations.

Netflix had planned to stamp its authority in the South Indian OTT space with Navarasa, but it wasn’t to be. The failure of the anthology came as a big shock to Netflix.