Showsha Reel Awards 2024 Best Director - OTT: Raj and DK to Vikramaditya Motwane - Meet the Nominees

News18 Showsha Reel Awards are back with a bang. The show promises to be bigger, better, and grander than ever before. The awards will celebrate the growing bond between the world of over-the-top (OTT) platforms and the Hindi film industry, as we honour all achievers and stars on March 9 in Mumbai.

Among other categories at the News18 Showsha Reel Awards, we will also see who will get the title of the ‘Best Director – Web Series’. Here are the nominees for the category:

Raj and DK (Farzi)

After The Family Man, everyone’s expectations from the director duo Raj and DK were very high. When their show Farzi was released on Prime Video in February 2023, it also received overwhelming reviews. With Shahid Kapoor in the lead, Raj and DK presented a show that was well-researched and executed in detail. The brilliant writing and direction of the show were also supported by the screenplay and dialogues.

Prashant Nair, Randeep Jha, Avani Deshpande (Trial By Fire)

Released in January 2023 on Netflix, Trial By Fire is based on the 1997 Uphaar Cinema fire, which claimed 59 lives and injured over 100 people. Directors focused on the pain of Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy (played by Rajshri Deshpande and Abhay Deol respectively) to connect to the audience. News18 Showsha’s review of the show called it “eminently watchable” and something one must not miss.

Nitya Mehra, Alankrita Shrivastava, Neeraj Ghaywan, Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti (Made In Heaven 2)

Just like its previous season, the sequel of Made In Heaven also impressed everyone. The Sobhita Dhulipala and Arjun Mathur starrer had multiple sub-plots but directors presented all of them with equal warmth and sensitivity. The makers also raised several social issues in Made In Heaven 2 and talked about gender inclusivity, physical violence, obsession with fair-skinned brides, ego clashes, adultery, pre-marital pregnancy, caste-based differences and polygamy.

Ram Madhvani, Vinod Rawat, Kapil Sharma (Aarya 3)

Directed by Ram Madhvani, Aarya is a crime drama starring Sushmita Sen as ‘Aarya’ – a lady who decides to protect her family from the mafia gangs after her husband’s death. Madhvani makes the third season of his show more than just the battles between the mafia gangs. He successfully and beautifully presented the battles that the characters were fighting within. He also made his show stronger with seasoned support cast around Sushmita.

Vikramaditya Motwane (Jubilee)

Vikramaditya Motwane’s Jubilee served as quite a perfect ode to yesteryear Bollywood. It is a period drama set around the India-Pakistan partition and tells the story of the Indian film industry from 1940 to 1955. It stars Prosenjit Chatterjee, Aparshakti Khurana, Sidhant Gupta, Aditi Rao Hydari, Wamiqa Gabbi, Ram Kapoor, and Nandish Singh Sandhu in the lead roles. The show brought the old Bollywood charm and won hearts with its impressive and conveying direction.

Reema Kagti and Ruchika Oberoi (Dahaad)

Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti directorial Dahaad was more than just a crime drama. The directors highlighted crucial social issues as the cops in the show worked hard to nab a serial killer. It skilfully touched upon the themes of sexism and casteism. The show starred Sonakshi Sinha, Vijay Verma, Gulshan Devaiah, and Sohum Shah in key roles.

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