Streaming platforms in 2019 offered a bold, new online world for writers and directors looking to break out of the confines of Hindi cinema and satellite television to boldly go where mainstream entertainment hadn't ventured before. This was the year online content in India really came into its own, offering viewers who could afford it a true alternative to traditional theatres and cable/satellite television still caught in tired, old themes and the war for TRPs.

Both in terms of content and treatment, shows such as Leila, Delhi Crime, Made in Heaven and The Family Man walked a different path, exploring themes that filmmakers usually stay away from for fear of offending a larger segment of audiences. Made in Heaven, for instance, dealt with topics as diverse as gay conflict, starry-eyed crushes and sexual exploitation in its nine episodes. The Amazon Prime show mirrored upper crust India through its two wedding planner protagonists -- Shobita Dhulipala and Arjun Mathur -- one a woman trapped in a marriage with an upper-classman and the other a gay man navigating life in a conservative society.