Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black Makes Digital Debut on Netflix

Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s timeless classic film ‘Black,’ starring Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukerji, has finally made its digital debut on its 19th anniversary on Sunday (4 January). The film is now streaming on Netflix.

Black, which tells the touching tale of a teacher (Bachchan) and his deaf and blind student (Mukerji), garnered widespread praise for its emotive storytelling and stellar performances.

The star cast and makers celebrated the first-ever OTT release. Taking to Instagram,  Bachchan treated fans with the news and wrote, “It’s been 19 years since Black was released, and today we’re celebrating its first-ever digital release on Netflix! Debraj and Michelle’s journey has been an inspiration to all of us, and we hope it instills you with strength and compassion.”

Black tells the tale of Debraj Sahai (Amitabh Bachchan), a teacher who dedicates his life to educating Michelle McNally (Rani Mukerji), a young woman trapped in a world of silence and darkness due to being deaf and blind. The film, inspired by the life of Helen Keller, depicts their remarkable journey as Debraj patiently breaks down the communication barriers and ignites the spark of learning in Michelle.

Black won three awards at the 53rd National Film Awards, including Best Feature Film in Hindi and Best Actor (Amitabh Bachchan). At the 51st Filmfare Awards in 2006, the film won in all the 11 categories it was nominated in, including Best Film, Best Film (Critics), Best Director (Bhansali), Best Actor, Best Actor (Critics) (both for Amitabh ), Best Actress and Best Actress (Critics) (both for Rani Mukerji), thus becoming the most-awarded film in the history of the Filmfare Awards at that time.