Taking the scenic route

10 great shows, released in 2023 and set in towns and villages scattered across India, that make the location the unexpected star

- Riddhi Doshi

1 Tooth Pari: When Love Bites. Pratim Gupta's show gets a vampire to fall in love with a Kolkata dentist. Of course there's comedy. But there is also a Kolkata that comes alive in the dark, creates drama out of forgotten corners, and creates a parallel supernatural metro. The show has been praised for its skilful camera work, quick pace and performances. Streaming on Netflix.

2 Dahaad. In rural Rajasthan, women go missing and turn up dead in public toilets, dying seemingly by suicide. Sonakshi Sinha plays the cop sent to investigate. Turns out, in this show by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, that a serial killer is on the loose. India's arid beauty is laid bare. So are its rigid social systems and biases. Streaming on Amazon Prime.

3 Do Gubbare. A paying guest from Indore and his ageing landlord in Pune make for a sweet relationship in Varun Narvekar's series. Coming-of-age scenes are interspersed with those of grief and loss. Puneri sarcasm meets Indori repartee. Old-word Pune comes alive. Streaming on JioCinema.