Two Khans. Two star son launches. A taste of Bengal. Quirky comedy to fantasy thriller, mature romance to gangster saga. The 2025 slate on Netflix India promises all this, and much more. Graced by the likes of Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan, Prosenjit and Jeet, the Next on Netflix slate announcement held at JW Marriott Juhu in Mumbai earlier this week promises something for every kind of viewer. t2 was in the house and we pick our highlights from the slate.

1. Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins

Saif Ali Khan sprung the first of the night’s two big surprises. The actor, grievously injured in an attempted burglary at his home last month, made his first official appearance before the media after the incident. Looking fit in an all-denim look — the black bandage on his hand and tiny Band-Aids on the side of his neck being the only giveaway — Saif was sharp and smart, walking in to talk about his Netflix Original film.

“It’s really nice to be standing here in front of all of you,” smiled the 54-year-old actor, sporting the moustache which has been his look since being discharged from hospital. “I have always wanted to do a heist film and I couldn’t have asked for more,” said Saif, gesturing towards director Siddharth Anand, who makes his streaming debut, but as producer. Jewel Thief is directed by Kookie Gulati and Robbie Grewal.

Also present at the launch was actor Jaideep Ahlawat, who plays a powerful crime lord who hires a sophisticated and suave thief, played by Saif, to steal an elusive diamond called The African Red Sun. We are so ready for this battle of wits and wills!

2. Nadaaniyan

Speaking of ‘sun’, can the son be far behind? Ibrahim Ali Khan, all set to make his debut with the Netflix rom-com Nadaaniyan, elicited some of the major hoots and whistles of the evening. Launched by Karan Johar, who introduced his find as the “new face of romance”, Ibrahim, accompanied by co-star Khushi Kapoor, showed promise from the get-go, his good looks winning him as many fans as his smooth moves on stage, as the duo unveiled Tere ishq mein, the first song from their film. Nadaaniyan also stars Suniel Shetty, Dia Mirza, Mahima Chaudhary and Jugal Hansraj.

3. Toaster

Bolly couple Rajkummar Rao and Patralekhaa turn producers with Toaster, a quirky slice-of-life comedy, whose teaser had us in splits. Raj, whose flair for comedy has been showcased in films like Bareilly Ki Barfi and the Stree franchise, plays a miser in Toaster, directed by Vivek Das Chaudhary, who becomes obsessed with an expensive toaster he had gifted at a wedding. When the wedding gets called off, he gets fixated on getting the toaster back. The film stars Sanya Malhotra, Abhishek Banerjee and Archana Puran Singh, among others. “We sent the script to everyone because we love what we have in our hands. Everyone read the script and somewhere they trusted that if it was coming from us, then it would be alright. We have worked together so we knew that we would have fun working together again,” said Raj — who literally popped out of a cardboard toaster at the Next on Netflix stage!

4. The Royals

Transport Bridgerton from the Regency era to here and now and give a desi spin to it. Netflix describes The Royals as “a breezy rom-com served up with a side of dreamy palace life, under the blazing royal sun”. The cast and crew of The Royals made for a pretty picture, with Ishaan Khatter, who plays an arrogant prince facing off against a rebellious startup CEO, played by Bhumi Pednekar, resulting in a Mills & Boon romance, showing some great chemistry on stage. But it was Zeenat Aman, classic-cool at 73, who stole the spotlight. She even gave us a glimpse of her silken moves, with Maniesh Paul, the co-host of Next on Netflix, for company.

The cast of The Royals boasts names like Ishaan Khatter, Bhumi Pednekar, Zeenat Aman and Sakshi Tanwar

5. Dining with the Kapoors

A glimpse of Dining with The Kapoors

Ever wondered what goes on at the famed Kapoor lunches and dinners? Bollywood’s first family will come together in a heartfelt and intimate showcase of food, fun and legacy. Seen through the eyes of the family members, this feel-good narrative aims to give fans and audiences a sneak peek into the Kapoor khandaan, their memories of growing up together, their love for food and the family’s relationship with cinema. “Growing up in the Kapoor family, food and cinema weren’t just passions — they were the moments that brought us together. The real magic happens around the dinner table, where stories, laughter and memories define who we are,” says creator and showrunner Armaan Jain. Dining with the Kapoors is written and directed by Smriti Mundhra, who has also given Netflix its superhit Indian Matchmaking series.

6. Glory

Divyenndu and Pulkit Samrat face off in the boxing ring in Glory. Promising to be a riveting sports thriller, which packs in vengeance, violence and vitriol in the quest for an Olympic gold, the from-the-heartland story also stars Suvinder Vicky, seen previously in many an impactful watch, including the brilliant Kohrra. Karan Anshuman and Kanishk Varma co-direct this gripping murder mystery intricately woven against the backdrop of the high-stakes world of sport.

7. Akka

Keerthy Suresh turns bad — gangsta-level bad — in the deliciously promising Akka. Directed by debutant Dharmaraj Shetty, Akka also stars Radhika Apte and has the two powerhouse actresses clashing in a game of one-up(wo)manship, revenge and murder. Keerthy, fresh and fetching in a white sari, was at the launch to introduce the series, which marks the latest collaboration between Netflix and Yash Raj Films. From what we have seen of the teaser, we are expecting The Railway Men-level of entertainment and intrigue. If not more!

8. Mandala Murders

Yet another Netflix X YRF collab, Mandala Murders is a fantasy thriller headlined by Vaani Kapoor, who was present at the launch with co-stars Surveen Chawla and Vaibhav Raj Gupta. Created by Mardaani 2 director Gopi Puthran, Mandala Murders takes place in a quaint, mysterious town where two detectives unravel a chilling conspiracy of ritualistic killings tied to a centuries-old secret society. We are sold!

9. Aap Jaisa Koi

What does R. Madhavan need to do to look 25 again? Simply shave off that beard! But in Aap Jaisa Koi, described as a “mature love story”, Maddy has to play a man closer to his age, but one still looking for love. This quirky Dharmatic film, directed by Vivek Soni, has Madhavan in the role of a 40-something bachelor who finds love in a much younger woman, played by Fatima Sana Shaikh. “I was looking for an age-appropriate romance. When I heard this story, I thought I won’t get any better opportunity than this,” said Madhavan at the launch. Part of Aap Jaisa Koi is shot in Calcutta.

10. TEST

Next at Netflix unveiled yet another Madhavan project, this one with his Rang De Basanti co-star Siddharth. TEST, a Tamil language original, also stars Nayanthara and is a sports drama in which the worlds of three people converge during a historic cricket match, ultimately forcing them to make life-altering decisions. According to the makers, TEST brings a story that will hit home hard, with themes of love, dreams, aspirations, choices and cricket. What made up for Nayanthara’s absence at the launch? The super dapper duo of Maddy and Sid, with the latter even managing to rock a buttercup yellow suit!

11. The Ba****ds of Bollywood

The biggest announcement — by a long, long mile — of the evening belonged to the Khan khandaan. And who better to introduce what is undoubtedly the most prestigious project of the slate than the King of the Khan clan? Shah Rukh Khan, his usual charming and charismatic self, strode in to deafening claps and roars to introduce son Aryan’s directorial debut. Interestingly titled The B****ds of Bollywood — which SRK spelt out as The Bads of Bollywood (tongue firmly in cheek) — the series was introduced via a fun teaser whose focus was solely on SRK, with the world also getting a glimpse of Aryan’s skills as an actor.

Aryan didn’t make it to the stage — he was at the red carpet with mom Gauri (who has produced the series) and sister Suhana — and it was up to SRK to showcase The B****ds of Bollywood. Which, of course, he did with his usual wit. What we also got to see was Shah Rukh, the emotional father. “Guzaarish aur bahut dil se main chahunga ki mere bete, jo apna pehla kadam rakh rahe hai direction mein, mere beti jo actress bann rahi hai, un sabko bhi 50 per cent pyaar bhi agar ye duniya dede jitna mujhe diya hai toh bahut zyada hoga,” he said, looking handsome in black.

At the event, Shah Rukh also said that he had passed on his sense of humour and knack for creating funny content to Aryan. “I just want to thank all the colleagues I have who participated in the series. They have done so well. I watched a few episodes of the series. It is extremely funny. I love funny things. Mere jokes pe log bura maan jaate hai, takleef ho jaati hai. Maine jokes karna chhod diya. Maine ye virasat apne bete ko de diya. Maine kaha jaa beta, baap ka naam roshan kar!” While no other reveal was made about the series, it is known for certain that Shah Rukh himself and Salman Khan pitch in with cameos, with Kill actor Lakshya leading the title.

BACK WITH A BANG!

12. Khakee: The Bengal Chapter

Among the returning shows, the biggest cheers were reserved for Khakee: The Bengal Chapter. Howrah boy Neeraj Pandey returns to home turf for Season 2 of his cop-verse, bringing together some of the biggest names in the Bengali film industry. Present at the star-studded launch were Prosenjit and Jeet, with the former stating that despite the years of experience between them, he and Jeet hadn’t shared screen space before this project.

Set in the Bengal of the early 2000s, The Bengal Chapter, shot largely in Calcutta and other parts of the state, has Jeet playing a fearless cop while Prosenjit essays the part of a politician. Other big names in the cast include Saswata Chatterjee, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Chitrangda Singh, Mimoh Chakraborty, Ritwik Bhowmik, Aadil Khan, Pooja Chopra and Shraddha Das.

13. Rana Naidu 2

Rana Daggubati and uncle Venkatesh Daggubati return with the next part of their action-packed, high-adrenaline series Rana Naidu. As expected, the two made a scintillating entry on stage, but the spotlight shone firmly on Arjun Rampal, who ‘walked in’ through a broken glass door. In S2, Arjun makes an entry to the franchise, along with Kriti Kharbanda.

14. Kohrra 2

One of the most loved series of 2023 is ready for another run. Kohrra 2 is back this year, with Barun Sobti being joined by Mona Singh, who steps in this season. Expect more slow-burn fireworks.

15. Delhi Crime 3

Madam Sir is back! Shefali Shah will reprise her role of top cop Vartika Chaturvedi in Delhi Crime S3. Aided by Neeti (Rasika Dugal) and Bhupendra (Rajesh Tailang), Madam Sir (Shefali) takes on a human trafficking network and faces off against Huma Qureshi, who plays the antagonist this season. “This season is also based on a true story and a very disturbing case. When I first read the character I was very scared,” revealed Shefali at the showcase.

16. The Great Indian Kapil Show

Promising to inject more gags and guffaws, The Great Indian Kapil Show will be back for another round. Most of the laughs at Next at Netflix was expectedly brought on by its mad cast on stage, including Kapil Sharma, Sunil Grover, Krushna Abhishek, Kiku Sharda and Archana Puran Singh. “Netflix now finishes each season within a certain number of episodes. Earlier, when we were on TV, each season would go on for 200+ episodes. It only ended when we had a fight between ourselves,” guffawed Kapil, playfully alluding to the infamous fight he and Sunil Grover were involved in.