This week-long series brings to you, next, the best of 2023 through the eyes of the most influential. Actor and General Secretary CINTAA, Amit Behl gives his list of ten best web series, which he recommends that you too must see.

Amit Behl is an Indian theatre, television and film actor. He started acting while in college. This was followed by a brief stint in professional theatre in Mumbai and Delhi, after which he joined Ebrahim Alkazi's Living Theatre Academy of Drama. While at the Academy, Behl studied acting. Over the many years, Behl has worked in performing arts, radio, theatre, television and film.

Armed with degrees in Engineering and Management, he began his career in 1994 with a role in India's first daily soap opera Shanti. He went on to do almost 100 TV serials thereafter in different languages i.e. Hindi, English, Marathi, Punjabi and Urdu.

Among his most powerful performances are Zee Marathi’s Swarajyarakshak Sambhaji and Zee TV’s Buddha. Also, Savitri – Ek Prem Kahani of Life OK, Friends Conditions Apply, a thriller series on Channel V India, Kasam Tere Pyaar Ki and Ishq Mein Marjawan on Colors TV among several others. Behl has acted in over 30 feature films in Hindi and English and television commercials. He has anchored corporate films and documentaries, and served as a voice actor for advertising and foreign language films.

Amit Behl is the senior joint secretary of Cine & TV Artistes Association (CINTAA) since 2015. He is a member of the governing council of the Media & Entertainment Skill Council (MESC), advising NSDC to integrate and recognise skills in the media and entertainment industry. He is a visiting faculty at various media and management schools, including We School Mumbai.

Over, then, to his selection of the ten best web series of 2023!

SCOOP – NETFLIX

Indian thriller series, Scoop, rose to the number one spot in Netflix’s top 10 list in India and Bangladesh. The following week, it remained in both countries’ top 10 lists, hanging on to the second highest spot. Inspired by real events and Jigna Vora’s memoir, Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison, the Netflix series tells the story of an accomplished female journalist, Jagruti Pathak, who is charged for the heinous murder of her fellow journalist. The 'hero' of the series 'Karishma Tanna' shines and leaves an everlasting impact with her impeccable acting prowess. The story has been very well executed by renowned director Hansal Mehta.

SCAM 2003 – SONY LIV

Scam 2003: The Telgi Story is a Hindi-language biographical financial thriller directed by Tushar Hiranandani, with Hansal Mehta serving as the co-director. The series is inspired from Sanjay Singh's book Telgi Scam: Reporter's ki Diary and is the second instalment in the Scam franchise following Scam 1992. The series stars Gagan Dev Riar as the protagonist with Mukesh Tiwari, Sana Amin Sheikh, Bharat Jadhav and Shaad Randhawa in pivotal roles. Based on true events, Scam 2003 traces Abdul Karim Telgi's rise from a fruit seller to the kingpin of the stamp paper scam. Fuelled by greed, Telgi dominates the stamp paper market through corruption, while carefully maintaining a low profile.

THE RAILWAYMEN – NETFLIX

As new threats rocket towards Bhopal Junction, The railway men face unimaginable dilemmas and they must act quickly to save others and themselves. As the gas descends on the city, passengers at Bhopal Junction break into madness to save their lives and a brave station master comes into action. The Railwaymen is produced by YRF Entertainment (the streaming division of Yash Raj Films, and stars R. Madhavan, Kay Kay Menon and Divyenndu Bhattacharya. Babil Khan, Sunny Hinduja and Juhi Chawla Mehta play supporting roles.

CHAMAK – SONY LIV

In the series Chamak, a young rapper Kaala leaves Canada for Punjab and discovers that his late father was the legendary famous singer Tara Singh, who was murdered on stage. As Kaala navigates through the complex landscape of politics, honour killings, and corporate rivalry, he meets Jazz, an aspiring artist.

This musical thriller, directed and co-created by Rohit Jugraj, stars Paramvir Singh Cheema, Isha Talwar, Akasa Singh, Manoj Pahwa, Gippy Grewal, Kunwar Grewal, Prince Kanwaljit Singh and features 15 songs of artists Gippy Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan, Mika Singh, Afsana Khan, Asees Kaur and MC Square among others.

KOHHRA – NETFLIX

After a dead body is found, copsBalbir and Garundi uncover links to a wedding and a missing foreigner. A father's grief pulls him down a rageful path. An unfolding nightmare traps two families. As cracks grow in Garundi and Balbir's lives, unspoken yearnings emerge.

Kohrra is an award-winning 2023 Indian Punjabi-language crime thriller series on Netflix directed by Randeep Jha. Produced by  Sudip and Kamesh Sharma’s Clean Slate Films, the series stars Survinder Vicky, Barun Sobti, Harleen Sethi, Saurav Khurana, Rachel Shelley and Manish Chaudhary in lead roles.

JUBILEE – AMAZON PRIME

Jubilee is an Indian Hindi-language period drama. The series is created and directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, produced by Andolan Films, Phantom Studios and Reliance Entertainment and stars Prosenjit Chatterjee, Aparshakti Khurana, Sidhant Gupta, Aditi Rao Hydari, Warmiqa Gabbi and Ram Kapoor.

Exactly a month before the Independence of India, producer Shrikant Roy, who owns the studio Roy Talkies in Bombay is searching for a new actor to debut in his latest film Sunghursh. He hopes to give the pseudonym, 'Madan Kumar', to the person selected. A theatre actor, Jamshed Khan, is selected. However, Jamshed is in an extra-marital affair with Sumitra Kumari, a high-profile Bollywood actress and Roy's wife. They both plan to run away to Karachi. Binod Das, the projector boy of Roy Talkies and Roy's right-hand man, is sent to Lucknow to bring both Jamshed and Sumitra back to the studio.

KAALOOT – JIO

Kaalkoot is a Hindi-language crime drama, written by Arunabh Kumar and Sumit Saxena and directed by Sumit Saxena. It stars Vijay Varma, Shweta Tripathi, Seema Biswas, Yashpal Sharma, Gopal Dutt and Suzanna Mukherjee.

The show centres on the lives of a motivated police officer who manages his work and family commitments while attempting to solve an acid attack case.

BAMBAI MERI JAAN – AMAZON PRIME

In 1964 Bombay, Ismail Kadri, an honest police officer from Ratnagiri  and a devout family man, is tasked with exposing the criminal nexus between gangsters Suleiman "Haji" Maqbool, Azeem Pathaan, and Anna Rajan Mudaliar. Ismail’s honesty is challenged constantly both personally and professionally. The trio of the aforementioned criminals ruled Bombay in the 1960s.

Bambai Meri Jaan is a Hindi-language period crime thriller produced by Excel Entertainment. The series stars Kay Kay Menon, Avinash Tiwary, Kritika Kamra, Nivedita Bhattacharya and Amyra Dastur.

GUNS AND GULAABS – NETFLIX

Set in the 1990s world of crime and violence, it depicts the story of love and innocence blending with humour and romance. Guns and Gulaabs is a Hindi-language black comedy crime thriller, created and directed by Raj & DK. Produced by D2R Films, the series stars Rajkummar Rao, Dulquer Salmaan, Adarsh Gourav, Goutam Sharma, Gourav Sharma, Sanchay Goswami and Gulshan Devaiah.

American hard rock band Guns N’ Roses inspired the term Guns and Gulaabs. Kumar Sanu sung the romantic song Do Raazi for Rajkummar Rao.

FARZI – AMAZON PRIME

Farzi is about Sunny, an artist disillusioned by the income inequality in India. After failing to keep his grandfather's extensive printing press in business, he decides to team up with his best friend Firoz to make counterfeit money. They face challenges from Mansoor, a gangster, and Michael, a cop.

It is a Hindi-language black comedy thriller created produced and directed by Raj & DK – both are also co-writers with Sita Menon and Suman Kumar. The series stars Shahid Kapoor, Vijay Sethupathi, Kay Kay Menon, Raashii Khanna and Bhuvan Arora.