Lockdown therapy: Your guide to free binge-watching

New Delhi, March 27  For a lot of us, the coronavirus lockdown means looking for ways to pass time, which include binge-watching. But you dont always need to pay up for a subscription to satiate your entertainment cravings. There are plenty of free options waiting to be streamed.

Here are a few:

* Aani Kay Hava

You can watch “Aani Kay Hava” season one and two. It is the story of a couple Jui (Priya Bapat) and Saket (Umesh Kamat), who connect while celebrating their first together, from the first time they cook together, the first festival they celebrate as a couple, first major fight to the down payment for your first car. The second season of the lighthearted series is about how the couple”s bond strengthens over time.

It streams on MX Player, which provides over 1,50,000 hours of content across genres, formats, languages and 40 plus originals for free. * Queen

The show stars Ramya Krishnan, Anikha Surendran, Anjana Jayaprakash and Indrajith Sukumaran amongst others. Inspired by true events, it is the story of Shakthi Sheshadri — a woman who was pushed to embrace life choices which weren’t her own, and yet she excelled in life.

* Bhaukaal

Inspired by The Life Of IPS Officer Navniet Sekera, “Bhaukaal” is set in Muzaffarnagar in 2003. The series tells the tale of how one courageous officer goes on a clean-up drive to punish criminals, battles local influential personalities and re-establishes the faith of the common man in the law. The crime drama stars Mohit Raina, Abhimanyu Singh, Siddhanth Kapoor, Bidita Bag, Sunny Hinduja, Rashmi Rajput, Pradeep Nagar and Gulki Joshi. It streams on MX Player.

* Samantar

Starring Swwapnil Joshi and Tejaswini Pandit, the thriller traces the journey of Kumar Mahajan, whose life changes when he hears that a man called Sudarshan Chakrapani”s past will be his future. The nine episodic Marathi series is directed by Satish Rajwade and it has also been dubbed in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. It streams on MX Player.

* Pawan and Pooja

The relationship drama explores the lives of 3 couples – all coincidentally named Pawan and Pooja, who, at different stages of their lives discover that their love is indeed conditional, breakable and questionable. The MX Player series stars Deepti Naval, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sharman Joshi, Gul Panag, Taaruk Raina and Natasha Bharadwaj.

* Baarish

The romantic series, starring Sharman Joshi, Asha Negi, Saahil Shroff, Priya Banerjee, and Vikram Chauhan, is about Anuj and Gauravi. It is about the bond they form when their families arrange their marriage unexpectedly. It streams on ZEE5, which is giving free access to people during the corona phase.

* Kehne Ko Humsafar Hai

The show, featuring Ronit Bose Roy, Mona Singh and Gurdeep Kohli, is about a middle-aged man, who has a caring wife and loving family but he falls in love with Ananya. It is available on ZEE5.

* Ishq Aaj Kal

A spin-off of the popular television show “Ishq Subhan Allah”, “Ishq Aaj Kal”, a Zee5 Original series, revolves around 24-year-old Alia Jaffri who is on a mission to find her father.

* Karle Tu Bhi Mohabbat

It stars Ram Kapoor and Sakshi Tanwar. The show is about Karan Khanna, who is recovering from his alcohol addiction, and takes a detoxification trip to Mahabaleshwar with his counsellor Tripurasundari.

It streams on ZEE5, which has also made films such as “Babumoshai Bandookbaaz”, “Paltan”, “Batti Gul Meter Chalu”, “Great Grand Masti” along with Korean web-series “Hypochondriac”, “The Girl”, “Relationship Status – It”s complicated”, “Men Cry Too” and “Bread Love and Dreams” available for free.

* Live From HQ

The series, curated and produced by Big Bad Wolf Entertainment, is available live for audiences starting March 25 until April 1 with performances by popular independent music, comedy and other performing artists through Instagram and Facebook. One can register to watch ”Live from HQ” through the BookMyShow website and app.

The series features acts by Prateek Kuhad, Indian Ocean, Vir Das, Karsh Kale, Kamakshi Khanna, Karan Singh Magic and Aisi Taisi Democracy.

People can also opt for Hotstar to watch shows like “Maharaj Ki Jai Ho”, “Savdhaan India FIR”, “Dance + “, “May I Come in Madam” and Hotstar original “Shockers”. There are movies such as “Housefull 4”, “Chhichhore”, “Mission Mangal”, “De De Pyaar De” and “Super 30”.

If you have Voot, you can binge-watch “Choti Sarrdaarni”, “Bigg Boss” Hindi, Kannada, Bengali, “MTV Roadies” and “Naagin”.

With an aim to raise awareness around staying fit, healthy and safe at home amid COVID-19 outbreak, Tata Sky is providing free access to Tata Sky Fitness.

As millions of kids stuck at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, Amazon Prime Video has also opened up free streaming access to more than 40 children’s shows, including its original series.

Along with streaming services, Audible Stories is also offering children some entertainment options.

“For as long as schools are closed, we”re open. Kids everywhere can instantly stream an incredible collection of stories, including titles across six different languages, that will help them continue dreaming, learning, and just being kids,” read a statement from Audible.

Actor Rana Daggubati has also made the content in ACK (Amar Chitra Katha) and Tinkle apps available for free for a month. He feels it will help people stay busy while they are under lockdown. The actor is a partner at ACK.

There”s entertainment avenue for sports lover as well. With an aim to keep the momentum going and fans engaged, NBA and Turner Sports are providing all fans with a free preview of NBA League Pass, the league”s premium subscription-based product, until April 22.