The year 2026 has been replete with good stories on the Indian streaming scene. Shows and films from across genres have found audiences and connected with them. The streaming scene in India began over a decade ago with young, fresh faces leading new stories, before the stars took over. But the first half of 2026 has seen a sort of throwback to those ‘good old days’. Many Hindi films and shows releasing on OTT this year have delivered breakthrough performances by young actors, who seem to have a long future in the industry.
Bad is good, it gives you the breakthrough
At a time when theatrical releases have shifted toward casting the biggest stars as villains, streaming is moving in the opposite direction. Some of the most memorable villains on Indian OTT this year were played by newcomers or relatively unknown actors. On Prime Video’s Raakh, Akash Makhija and Ramandeep Yadav played two contrasting but equally evil serial killers. Inspired by the Ranga Billa case from the 1970s, the show presented two shades of evil, and the two young actors portrayed them to perfection.
Before them, Daldal had depicted another shade of black, but this one shaped by society’s hands. Samara Tijori’s breakthrough performance as a killer in the thriller not only earned her plaudits but also assured viewers that there are young female actors willing to take the road less taken at an early crossroads in their careers. Kashmira Pardeshi in Netflix’s Glory seemed to be an extension of the same philosophy, as she essayed a homemaker-turned-criminal kingpin flawlessly.
But violence need not always be murderous to appal us. Sometimes, evil can exist around us, looking very ordinary. Siddharth Shaw’s portrayal of a sexually abusive husband in JioHotstar’s Chiraiya was a testament to that. The young actor showed that a good son and brother can also be a horrible husband. The boy-next-door villain is a trope that our streaming has not quite explored, but one hopes this can start something.
The wild card that stumped us
When Kartavya released on Netflix earlier this year, the focus was on Saif Ali Khan’s return to the heartlands of UP, two decades after Omkara. But after the film’s release, the actor who stole the show was Yudhvir Ahlawat. The actor played a teenage assassin on the run from the very people who hired him. Portraying haplessness and isolation with the maturity of a far more seasoned actor, Yudhvir won the audience over. When the baby-faced actor later revealed he was actually 31, not 13, it became the internet’s favourite trivia for weeks.
There is diversity on offer too
Our streaming is very drama-heavy. Crime thrillers and serious dramas dominate the platforms even as some lighter, slice-of-life shows are now increasingly finding their way into the mix. The list of young actors who shone brightest this year is entirely from the drama and thriller genres, highlighting their dominance. But despite that, one name managed to show its range.
For Prasanna Bisht, 2026 has probably been the year when she has felt she has arrived. In Chiraiya, she played a marital rape survivor with so much grit that she was all the country could talk about for days when the show came out. Barely weeks later, she showed her comedy chops as she stepped into Prime Video’s Adarsh Bal Vidyalala, a satire and farce rolled into one.
The year is far from over. In the coming five months, more shows and films will release on the half a dozen major streaming platforms. And if the new talent on display there is anything like the class we have already seen this year, the future certainly looks bright.