Wild Wild Web

They’re real, refreshingly original and undeniably enthralling. Presenting the new league of extraordinary ladies and gentlemen that are breaking the internet

- Tanya Mehta

It’s common knowledge that the silver screen holds unprecedented authority in India, it’s a medium that’s moulded idols out of actors. But as we inch into the golden age of Netflix and Prime, a sparkling new talent pool emerges from the confines of our country. In recent times, we’ve witnessed the triumph of several home-grown web shows, marking the advent of content that’s intelligent as it is entertaining. And driving this movement are a group of rising stars, some familiar faces, some emerging ones. We chatted them up in Mumbai’s creative hub, Soho House, and turned the lens on the ones to watch, who are redefining the way we view.

ARJUN MATHUR

You must be living under a rock if you haven’t watched Zoya Akhtar’s magnum opus, Made in Heaven (MIH), a web show that encapsulates the complex dichotomy between New Delhi’s affluent and working class, as well as the baffling intricacies of the Indian wedding industry. For its premiere season, which aired earlier this year, Arjun Mathur plays a gay wedding planner. Mathur is a known face in the independent film circuit, we’ve previously watched him play the protagonist in Netflix’s Brij Mohan Amar Rahe, and most recently in the political memoir, The Accidental Prime Minister.

THIRD TIME’S A CHARM