Netflix Orders Two Indian Originals, One Written by 'Quantico' Scribe

'Again' is a female detective series, penned by Marisha Mukerjee, while 'Selection Day' revolves around cricket and corruption.

Netflix is building up its Indian content offerings, unveiling on Thursday two new originals that it will stream worldwide.

Selection Day is based on the novel of the same name by best-selling author Aravind Adiga, which revolves around cricket and corruption. The series will be co-produced with U.K.-based Seven Stories, which is part of All3Media and backed by filmmakers Sharon Maguire (Bridget Jones' Baby) and Anand Tucker (Leap Year). The book sale was brokered by Luke Speed at Curtis Brown.

Again is a female-led detective series set in the capital New Delhi and is written by Marisha Mukerjee whose credits include Quantico and Justified. The series revolves around a female homicide detective who must put her career and life on the line when a recent murder connects to closed cases from her past, proving she has a serial killer on her hands.

Mukerjee said the series “not only speaks to my own duality and cultural heritage, but also to the universal grey that exists between life and death, where religion intersects justice.”

"These projects have specifically local subjects, but will be great for our global audience, and are supported by world-class talent,” said Netflix vp international original series Erik Barmack.

“When I first read Selection Day I was completely overwhelmed by the scale and ambition of Aravind’s vision — and moved to my core by its emotional power,” said Tucker.

Netflix announced its first Indian series last year, Sacred Games, also based on a novel, by author Vikram Chandra. While a release date is not yet set, the series, which is headlined by Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, is currently in production by Phantom Films, whose founders include Anurag Kashyap (Gangs of Wasseypur).

By contrast, rival Amazon has rolled out Indian fare more aggressively since its Prime Video service launched in the country last December. Within a short span, it has already streamed a wide range of originals, from comedy specials to its first series, Inside Edge, which premiered last month and also revolves around cricket.