Why Do Some Indians Often Talk About OTT Content Being 'Too Black' for Their Comfort?

On a late evening in Delhi, a group of friends browses Netflix, searching for something new to watch. Titles roll by: Dear White People, Top Boy, Supacell, Queen Sono. Someone frowns. “It looks too Black,” they remark casually. The room shifts—others nod, half-embarrassed, half-honest. No one intends harm, but the sentiment lingers in the air. What does “too Black” even mean? For many Indian audiences, it signals a discomfort with representation they are not accustomed to seeing: casts dominated by Black actors, stories centered on Black life, narratives unconcerned with catering to white or Asian gaze. This reaction, though awkward, isn’t rare. Across WhatsApp groups, office banter, and even Bollywood gossip, some Indians express unease with international OTT series led predominantly by Black actors. They may dismiss them as “not relatable,” “too gritty,” or “too much.” Yet behind these offhand remarks lies a tangle of history, psychology, and cultural conditioning: India’s long entanglement with colonial colorism, Bollywood’s obsession with fair-skinned beauty, and the cognitive shock of encountering global diversity unfiltered. Streaming platforms like Netflix and Prime Video are reshaping global entertainment. They amplify Black voices long sidelined by Hollywood. But in doing so, they also confront Indian viewers with their own inherited biases. To understand why some Indians talk about OTT content being “too Black,” we need to trace the interplay of history, cinema, and psychology—where personal discomfort meets global representation.

Full Body Review for Hell House - Original, First Part Full Movie [as seen on YouTube]

There are a lot of real-life documentary-type movies out there and usually, I don't recommend watching them since the constant movement of the camera tends to irritate me a lot. However, Hell House does the same thing differently and a lot better. For the uninitiated, this is your typical low-budget movie done in a handheld, camera-shot manner and still, it manages to impress. Just for records - I have not researched if Hell House [first of the three so far] is of the pseudo-genre of documentary that was used by the makers of The Poughkeepsie Tapes - I think believing that something like this happens for real, and can happen again, just adds more creepiness to the entire thing.

Doing 'The Poughkeepsie Tapes' but only a bit better!

The beginning of the movie is marked by the medical teams and investigators repeatedly mentioning YouTube videos and finding some lost footage - this sets the tone in a way. You realize that the movie is going to present itself in a non-Cinemascope manner and still, Hell House manages to hold your attention. It does so by not using too much music. It does it better by straight away jumping into the subject - the incident per se, without a big lead-up, which can be boring and predictable. I still rate The Poughkeepsie Tapes among the top contenders in this niche of horror moviemaking but Hell House [the original] has come close, dangerously close. It has a slower pace than the latter, and it does not try to interpret a reason or the doer. This one scene in The Poughkeepsie Tapes still remains in my mind where the cops uncover a truckload of VHS tapes that were used to record the torture and instantly it dawns on the viewer that this is not just about a serial killer, The Poughkeepsie Tapes is about someone who tortures and kills as regularly as we have supper. Now, to give some perspective, Hell House has more of these spooky scenes. The simple, close-up of the basement that comes up in the first few minutes of the movie is creepy - mind you, this is before the menacing footage even starts playing!

Quick Review Truth or Dare [Blumhouse Extended Director's Cut] Netflix India

This is perhaps not the right time to review Truth or Dare since the movie's ending, which might have appeared phenomenally smart at the time when it was released, now looked cliched and way too predictable for a movie that really tries to surprise you but still falls much short of the expectations. The problem is not with the movie's plot which is somewhere between being the most likely possibility and I-knew-it, but the story's handling.

Reviewed: Don't Knock Twice [2] on Amazon Prime

I never saw the first part of this movie, but still, I would say that Don't Knock Twice [2] on Amazon Prime is good enough for a one-time watch. Don't get your hopes up. The content is not refreshing. The performances are just decent. What plagues this movie is the storytelling. It is not as gripping as you would expect. When the Rotten Tomatoes community gave it a one-star rating, I felt a bit for the makers but you have got to realize that the entire story has been told before, via different movies in the horror genre. You can find similarly themed movies with rituals, demonic forces, and witchcraft in the mix. Don't Knock Twice uses all these elements and tries to tell the story with a mother-daughter relationship also thrown into the mix. What you get is somewhat interesting. 

Reviewing I am All Girls on Netflix India

I am All Girls is perhaps one of the most underrated movies on Netflix India. There is every reason the channel and more so, its marketing team should have promoted this title a bit more. Even the online ratings seem a bit poorly done, underestimating the subject tackled in the movie and the manner in which the story has been told. I am All Girls may or may not be for family viewing depending upon how your ecosystem handles movies that are a bit graphic about subjects as sensitive as child abuse, child pornography, child trafficking, and the system that feeds off young girls taken off the streets, taking a toll on their families, and ruining lives without any logic to it.

The Starling Movie Review [Netflix India OTT]

The Starling is a decent effort if you are not looking for Oscar-winning performances. Not that Kevin Kline and Melissa McCarthy don't do a great job, they have performed rather well but yes, there are places where the movie fails to live up to its expectations. The story of a couple who is dealing with the loss of their child is told rather well. While Melissa has taken the quiet, let us not talk about it sort of approach, her husband turns suicidal and has to be admitted to a facility for mental wellness. The movie shows the massive difference between the approach the couple undertakes to deal with their sense of loss.

Movie Review for The Old Ways on Netflix India OTT

Keep your expectations real - The Old Ways does not have a premium starcast or the directorial credentials that make it an obvious pick during your work-from-life. However, like many horror flicks and gore movie plots that performed rather well with their directors and lead performers later blossoming into bigger names in the industry, The Old Ways does many things right to impress. The best part is that it wastes no time in revealing the storyline without unnecessarily stretching it. The first shot happens to be in the room where the supposedly possessed lady has been chained. Yes, this movie too is about possessions and being taken over by ghosts when you venture into the badlands and lesser-visited areas. The story is not too dramatic but it is told at a good pace. There is no time to take a popcorn break as Cristina realizes that her body has been taken over, and then gets on a quest to get rid of the unwanted spirit, and later, become a witch doctor lady of sorts herself. The entire movie presents just about four or five faces. There is no melodrama or too many special effects. This is a good movie if you like a lightweight horror flick where the fear is in the victim's eyes rather than computer-generated graphics. Combine the basic plot with a bit of sorcery and tales that only some village folks would know about, and The Old Ways comes up with a decent concoction. Highly recommended if you don't like to watch something too scary before going to bed but still want to see something that spooks you a little. A good effort overall, and it also makes me wonder why Netflix India has not been promoting or recommending this movie in any way. Perhaps, their content spotting team needs to do a better job of looking at their own inventory of decent movies and recommending it when a browser chooses the genre-based filter.

7 Influences Clearly Visible in Bhoot Police | Still Does Not Impress

Winchester Brothers: Supernatural was a bit of a breakthrough after Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, in terms of being a TV series that was dedicated to monster hunting and extermination. Add some ghouls, fallen angels, zombies, and other out-of-this-world predators, and Supernatural addressed all of them with the duo of the Winchester brothers kicking some serious ass. Bhoot Police surely borrowed this idea, but the chemistry between Arjun Kapoor and Saif was just not the same. I cannot call this a lame attempt since it was done decently but it just did not make an impact. 

The Grudge: Hollywood remake of the Japanese horror icon laid new standards for presenting the creepy type of horror, moving away from the horror genre that was typically high on special effects. One thing that every first-time Grudge watcher would remember is the body-twisting and bone-cracking sounds. Bhoot Police borrowed the same, on two occasions, if I remember correctly. The impact again was missing. It was done a bit too quickly and without any creepiness being created.

You Never Really Here is Grim without a Reason and thankfully, it does not try to explain why

If there is Joaquin Phoenix in a movie, I have a reason to watch it - things are that simple for me when it comes to trusting the starcast to choose a movie to watch tonight. But You Never Really Here tests this theory, this faith that the movies Phoenix chooses are invariably high on substance. For starters, the guy hardly speaks throughout the movie. Not that the action sequences are too stretched. There is an intentional slowness to the story, but then again, there is no real story here. Joaquin is remorseful, guilty, passive-aggressive, violently aggressive, repentful, and a lot more, but the plot just does not allow him to really take up the screen space he warrants.

Reviewing - 3 Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - Disney Hotstar Plus

Expect shades of grey, black, and the small town passiveness we found in Fargo, the movie and not the TV series, in what can be described as a bit of a hidden gem. But then, this is not surprising since both Fargo and 3 Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri start Francis McDormand and she is as brilliant you can expect the lead star in a Hollywood production. As far as the storytelling goes, it is a bit twisted and weird in places but largely it does a fine job of detailing the grief, anguish, vengeance, and redemption around the rape and murder of a young girl near Ebbing. Playing the role of Mildred, Francis McDormand is very convincing as the remorseful and bitter mother whose daughter has been snatched with utter cruelty in a town that does not care much. More precisely, she seems convinced that it is the police department that has done nothing to find the killers. Her vendetta seems more directed at the sheriff, played by Woody Harrelson, who is battling pancreatic cancer and a sense of guilt for being unsuccessful in making any arrests in this particular case. However, the character that shapes up beyond your expectations and delivers a stellar performance is Dixon, played by Sam Rockwell.

Hoping that Bandbudh aur Budbak does not try to Indianize Dumb & Dumber for our Kids!

I realize that the Japanese effect on animation is here to stay. Whether it is watching Titoo on Pogo or catching glimpses of the dubbed version of Shin-chan, a shift towards the Japanese method of creating animated content is very visible. The pout of every character is a bit twisted to one side. The mouth is invariably the size of a planet. The weeping is always exaggerated with a fountain of tears. Largely, the characters in this style of animation have become less lovable—less cute than the period when Disney was the global standard for all cartoons. One such, India-specific offering in this genre is Bandbudh aur Budbak. Needless to say that the facial expressions seem strange to me. However, what stands out is the sheer ugliness of the faces. I realize I must sound like a shallow person who seems obsessed with a certain degree of perfection or typicality in everything, but that is not the grounds for this opinion. Bandbudh aur Budbak on Pogo takes the animated ugliness to another level.

Quick, Short Reviews: 4 Amazon Prime Movies Reviewed

It Follows: Watchable, Recommended, Borderline Creepy, Hooks You

Watch this without assuming there is any link between this movie and the IT – this is an entirely different type of animal, albeit very quiet, slow-paced, and tries to thrill you by being a bit creepy. While the first 20 minutes don’t do a lot to get you hooked into it, the last 20 minutes or so are the exact opposite of it. I would recommend it to anyone who likes a lot of graphical, flesh-tearing, and blood-spurting that is becoming regular across the horror genre in contemporary cinema. Yes, the following aspect in the title is self-explanatory, but you have to see it to realize that the storytelling is really good. There are no spectacular special effects either, just a slow-moving story that builds up rather well, leading up to the brilliant ending.

Dead Birds: Perhaps one of the worst on Amazon Prime India

Watch this when you don’t have anything planned for the next 2 hours, and it seems like you can digest, perhaps and literally, any type of cinema. Dead Birds is the type of B-grade horror flick that does not scare you, and it does not remain in your memory for more than a few days. It actually does not deserve to last for even 2 days. That is how average the entire effort is. The special effects, or the lack of them, only make it worse, while the scariness just does not develop. Trying the horror genre in the classical landscape does not work here. Try to avoid this at all costs. If you plan an act of sweet revenge on someone, then recommend it further. These types of movies make you wonder how some people even get the resources or the approvals to shoot anything and bring it to celluloid.

Dark was the Night: Too Typical, Very Stereotyped, Nothing Notable 

Sometimes I wonder how movies are rated these days. Take this title, for instance. It has an almost 6 rating on IMDB. The same, small-town landscape with simpletons and secrets is repeated. There is always a sheriff in such plots, and here, the sheriff is grieving for his lost son – again, not the newest idea across any genre. He further has split from his wife or distanced – rings any bells? There is the typical, inexplicable, creature-like thing that is frightening the townspeople – sounds familiar? That is what is principally wrong with this movie. It does not belong to the horror genre. It is not a thriller either. It is not a creature feature either. Then, what is it? It tries to be everything and turns out to be very, very average. Those who have been catching up with the indie sector of movie-making over the last decade will also tell you that the Windigo has become a bit too common, and Dark Was The Night borrows the concept and messes it up – not recommended to my friends.

What Lies Below: Tries Hard & Fails, Confuses Towards the End

This movie has been categorized as Horror-Thriller if you run a Google search for it. However, What Lies Below is not really scary. It is more inclined towards being a bit of sci-fi and puts up a different take on the alien story plots that we have become a bit too accustomed to. A single mom or a separated one, as I don’t recall having a fiancé who is just too perfect. Obviously, her daughter does not agree and has some serious doubts about this man, who seems hell-bent on breeding. Turns out this guy is not really human and is actually trying to rear a species on his own. The plot could have been very interesting if the direction had been better. Sadly, that is not the case. What Lies Below handles the story somewhat loosely. If you Google this movie title more, you will find many search results trying to explain the ending of What Lies Below. The problem is that in the last 5 minutes or so, the movie takes a leap. All of a sudden, the typical storytelling gets complex. The alienist type of guy who is running some sort of alien creature genetic experiments seems to have turned a human into a fully functional, underwater creature of some type – sounds confusing? Watch What Lies Below and let me know if you could understand the ending without a doubt.

Kingdom - reigns over most Zombie genre content on Netlfix [and OTTs all around]

This might be blogging about something which already out there but I still could not help myself. This is primarily because Kingdom has been able to do what most other Zombie genre content, in the form of movies, OTT streams, or TV series, has not been able to do in almost a decade - this series blends unexpected characterization of the protagonists, challenges this entire genre with a solid storyline, and does not depend solely on the gore and horror of flesh-eating extras to engage your attention. 

Kingdom on Netflix rides on what is perhaps its strongest appeal, i.e. a plot where the presence of Zombies seems like the perfect sprinkling on something that is already rather delicious if you happen to consume a lot of Netflix content.  For work-from-home professionals like me who have been waiting for something that can be watched in the regular mode with the audio controls turned on, and in the near-mute mode when the baby is asleep in your bed, Kingdom has proven to be the best pick. If you have been a hater for Zombie-focused visual content in general, despite the awesomeness of Will Smith in I am Legend, you really need to give Kingdom one real chance. You have to watch at least three episodes, without a break, to provide the series a genuine chance to keep you hooked.

Why should you watch Kingdom?

• It keeps up the interest levels even if you have not been loving the typical Zombie content
• It does not pile on season after season on you - there have been just two until today
• The performances are not full-blown, ensuring a bit of subtlety for more realism
• The flesh-eating graphical content is not at the core of this Netflix series; it falls secondary to an interesting story that has an insatiable hunger for power, betrayal, and pure hatred
• It tells you exactly why South Korean and Korean content, in general, is being loved by TV audiences these days
• Netflix brings it to you without any waiting, straight up, before the episodes get lost in the murky underworld of online leaks and pirated efforts
• It does not take long to get somewhat addicted - I have recommended watching 3 episodes without a break above, and I vouch for it
• For all those still asking whether Kingdom on Netflix is worth watching to the extent of getting their account renewed, the answer is Yes
• Folks still wondering if Kingdom is very violent, please understand I am not the best person to answer this as I saw the Human Centipede without taking a break or questioning the creation of content that is largely being called disturbing 
• If you are in the somewhat limited fraternity of Korean actor-loving folks in India, this series is being talked about to bring back some of the industry's best performers. Whom all? I don't know their names, but you can catch this bit here: Link to Explore

QUICK BYTES

Thrillist.com said that this show could be a good replacement for those who are still missing Game of Thrones - I totally agree. This is binge-worthy OTT content.

Vulture.com takes a more educated view when reviewing Netflix's Kingdom, saying this OTT show borders on mimicking the horror that is going on in our lives these days, drawing a parallel with the Coronavirus taking over our lives. More importantly, their review concludes that more serious than the Zombie virus or the pandemic is the plague of greed and jealousy among humans, and yes, Kingdom uses these feelings to make it stand apart as not just another Zombie-themed series.

Decider.com recommends you to give Kingdom a chance as the storytelling breaks the stereotypical things associated with the Zombie genre, and I couldn't agree more - Kingdom does everything you expect from a Zombie-heavy series and still manages to come out slightly different...a lot more interesting.

Catching-up with Malgudi…a place that existed on TV, where my childhood still stays

We have been Amazon Prime members for some time, but the emphasis has always been on catching up with the most trending short series and highly debated characters. Last night, we revisited Malgudi Days. We watched around three episodes, and I realized what had changed all this while, while I was away from such moments—the Simplicity of Life. This was during the last part of the 80s, and I was nowhere close to having found myself. Well, I am still struggling on that part, but this was a phase when food of any type was exciting, finding Mom at home was a blessed day, getting Pop to buy us ice cream was God-sent wishes come true, and in essence, Life was simple. What went wrong between the Malgudi Days era and the rise of Thanos?

I got detached. I lost the bond with the simplest pleasures in Life. I allowed opinions and must-do perceptions to take over. The things I assumed were meant to be there became dearer, and my thought process got more branded. The Malgudi days [of my life] were about loving sleeping on the cold concrete floor at my naani’s home, they were about romancing the samosa, and allowing nothing to build up in the mind. Now, there are days when I feel my heart will explode simply because there are so many beautiful things undone, unvisited, unattempted, and perhaps unattainable. The tragedy is that even as I was watching this, we exchanged notes on which brand of mustard sauce was better with dip snacks, planning another visit to the sacred mall. Now, Swami/my Malgudi self would have never planned so much…

Miracles from Heaven - not a great movie, perhaps a FAITH booster!

 

This is about Faith, the struggle, how to reconnect, and wait out the worst

If you Google the title, you will find a description along the lines of "Miracles from Heaven is a 2016 American Christian comedy drama...", but this might be the worst way to indicate the plot or the story that will unfold. I had my reasons to watch the movie. I am a big Jennifer Garner fan. I believe she has been the most perfect performer to have appeared across Hollywood productions, but with very little credit. As a movie summary, Miracles from Heaven speaks about a girl with an impossible-to-treat to treat type of digestive or intestinal disorder. Given my history of IBS and my recurring collisions with Faith, it made a lot of sense to watch Miracles from Heaven via my Amazon Prime account. The movie is not spectacular in any way. It does not get preachy, and neither is the plot too over-dramatic. Garner puts in a splendid performance, but there are moments when she oversteps into unwanted hysterics.

Reviewing Guess Who – Inspired by Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, without getting Desperate!

There was something very likable, very identifiable with the original – Guess Who Is Coming To Dinner has been repeatedly referred to as a classic. My wife really loved it, while I just like the movie. In parts, the movie is brilliant. The cast seems like the ideal fit for the story that is really just about a very friction-heavy evening with conversations and arguments explaining everything, leaving very little to doubt. What has been referred to as Sidney Poitier’s best can be remade, but the remake has to be really good—Guess Who comes close to being a remake, but it seems like a more contemporary, spicier version of the original, borrowing the basic plot and keeping the overall treatment very different. Thanks to Ashton Kutcher, the laughs are not contrived. His future father-in-law is Black and dominant in a very literal way but the performance is rather good.

Reviewing Gurgaon – Not Just another NCR Riches Story or Culture Bashing

Being new to Amazon Prime, we have been somewhat selective in choosing movies, as if the membership is going to hold us guilty for watching too many. We are slowly evolving into a couple that can watch TV for a longer duration, happily seated together, almost stuck like a plug in the socket. For some reason, I want to watch more horror flicks and thrillers, and my Wife wants more Rom-coms. I am discovering a new side to me where I can actually see and appreciate some seriously feminist-ridden stuff. However, this is not the case with Gurgaon—this is not a thriller or a romantic comedy in any way. This movie uses a sadistic plot to say something in the most subtle, almost passive way. It is a cinematic commentary on what transpires among the lives of those who have suddenly found riches around the suburbs of a cosmopolitan, people who knew how to grab, kill, and conquer but seem clueless when it comes to fully utilizing what they have gathered.

Reviewing Jumping the Broom – Not Inspired by Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

Two black families with very different cultural setups getting together because their children are about to tie the knot – it seems inspired by Guess Who Is Coming to Dinner in some way? Not really, if you are watching Jumping the Broom. The movie is not dramatic, and the emotional plays are reasonable. Not trying to enforce itself as a romantic comedy, this movie is without the rhetoric.

Reviewing Don’t Breathe – Thriller that stands apart from any other, Violent Blind-Man Rendition

I have seen those stupid blind man plots where it seems that anyone who has lost the ability to see can get easy access to supernatural strength and wisdom that only a century-old samurai would otherwise possess. However, Don’t Breathe is not that type of movie. If you like your thrillers to be largely quiet without special effects but with lots of cringing-causing surprises, this is the movie for you.

Few words about DDD - Dil Dhadakne Do

If you are expecting a generous sprinkling of words like "awesome" and "must-watch", you just hit the wrong platform. This is my blog, and I tend not to be that unforgiving for any type of content - visual or textual. DDD or Dil Dhadakne Do was watchable because of one big reason - nobody tried to act beyond the scope of their roles. The supporting cast does not look like trying to grab some highlight, right from below the feet of the main cast that has been chosen smartly. Zoya Akhtar has proven again that she can direct a plot that is attuned well to what the Millennials understand. Dil Dhadakne Do is very relatable because of a simple trick, a game that anybody can understand - it borrows situations and ideas and the aftermath(s) of many events from real lives, from everyday lives of people like you and me.