Stories that broke formulas—and built a new audience. When Amazon Prime Video arrived in India, few could have predicted just how quickly it would disrupt our screens. While mainstream cinema stayed preoccupied with tried-and-tested formulas, Amazon quietly began releasing content that felt braver, sharper, and unapologetically raw.
In the last few years, some of India’s most unforgettable shows have emerged from this platform—series that not only entertained, but also poked at uncomfortable truths and redefined what “mainstream” even means. Here are the top five Indian originals from Amazon Prime Video that changed the OTT game.
1. Mirzapur
There’s a reason people started saying, “Mirzapur ke rules alag hain.” At first glance, Mirzapur seems like another crime drama—but what it delivered was something else entirely. It turned a sleepy town in Uttar Pradesh into the backdrop of an all-out war for power, betrayal, bloodshed, and unforgettable dialogues.
From Kaleen Bhaiya’s cold logic to Munna Tripathi’s chaos, every character felt alive, unpredictable, and terrifyingly real. Some critics took issue with its brutality. Others argued it glorified the wrong things. But for most viewers, it hit a nerve. It brought small-town politics, caste tension, and family dynamics into sharp focus, without pretending to moralize.
2. The Family Man (2019)
Spy thrillers aren’t new. But The Family Man wasn’t just a spy thriller—it was a satire, a character study, and a reflection of every Indian middle-class dad rolled into one.
Srikant Tiwari is a national agent who’s fighting off terrorists on one end and attending awkward marriage counseling sessions on the other. What made this show stick wasn’t just its slick production or action—it was the absurdity of balancing homeland security with school pickups.
Season 2 came with its share of political backlash, especially over its depiction of Tamil rebels. But controversy couldn’t dim the brilliance of the writing. The show never pretended to have all the answers. What it did have, though, was a lead character who felt real, flawed, funny, and fiercely human.
3. Paatal Lok (2020)
If Indian web series had a dark mirror, Paatal Lok would be it. Created by journalist-turned-writer Sudip Sharma and produced by Anushka Sharma, the show doesn’t offer easy closure or glamorous plots. Instead, it throws viewers into a grimy, chaotic Delhi where cops, criminals, journalists, and politicians are all stuck in a moral swamp.
At the centre of it is Hathi Ram Chaudhary, a worn-down cop chasing a case that gets stranger by the hour. But this isn’t just crime fiction. It’s a commentary on caste, religion, media spin, and how justice in India often depends on who you are. The series received both applause and legal notices. Some called it offensive. Others called it fearless. Either way, it refused to be ignored.
4. Mumbai Diaries 26/11
Most stories about 26/11 focus on the commandos, the victims, or the terrorists. But Mumbai Diaries dared to zoom in on the emergency room. Set inside a government hospital during the Mumbai terror attacks, the show captures the pressure, panic, and pure chaos that doctors and nurses faced that night. It doesn’t glamorize anything. It’s the opposite—it shows the cracks in the system, the lack of resources, and how heroism often looks more like exhaustion than glory.
What makes Mumbai Diaries unforgettable is its silence. The stillness between explosions. The decisions made in hallways, not headlines. It’s not just a tribute—it’s a reckoning.
5. Khauf (2024)
India has had ghost stories before. But Khauf plays a different game. The story follows a young woman trying to escape her past, only to check into a hostel where every room has its own trauma. Unlike loud horror that throws blood at the walls, Khauf is quiet. Tense. Psychological. It explores grief, memory, and fear that lingers long after the credits roll.
Some episodes deal with loneliness. Others with abuse. But each one leaves you unsettled—not because of what you saw, but what you felt. It’s horror that doesn’t just scare. It speaks.
Final Word: What Makes These Shows Work
Each of these Amazon originals told a story Indian television wouldn’t dare touch five years ago. They featured characters who looked like us. Spoke like us. Struggled like us. They handled caste, terrorism, media corruption, mental health, domestic pressure, and class warfare—all without turning into lectures.
If nothing else, they proved that India is ready for better content. We just needed someone to take the first step. So now the question is—which one of these shows left the biggest mark on you?
Written by Shubham Choudary