Netflix’s new video ponders – ‘What if years were people’

A new video by streaming giant Netflix titled ‘What If Years Were People’ shows people representative of different decades, till this year. 2020 happens to be the concluding year for the decade, starting 2010, and many people have already called it ‘the worst year in history’.

In the video, we see the dashing actor Rohit Saraf strolling into Netflix’s apartment complex as residents of different apartments (showing different decades) welcome him. As he walks in, he wearily asks people to continue following social distancing norms and puts on a mask himself before proceeding indoors.

When he shows up at Netflix’s apartment, ‘2020’ (essayed by Jordindian duo Vineeth Kumar and Naser Al Azzeh) is making a case for a biopic based on the year’s events. ‘Netflix’ himself is portrayed by content creator Vishnu Kaushal.

The presentation for 2020’s biopic makes references to Dalgona coffee, banging vessels for five minutes at 5 p.m. and Zoom meetings while working from home. It also references the movie ‘Ludo’ and the series ‘Mismatched’ – both of which feature Saraf in a leading role.

Saraf, as ‘2021’, plays an anxiety-ridden year. Thanks to how much hate 2020 received, he wonders if he’ll be able to live up to people’s expectations. He voices some anxieties people have been dealing with since the COVID pandemic began – they were unable to meet their friends, were isolated from their families and the failing economy.

A game of ‘Never Have I Ever’ ends in a friendly riling of the year, while other decades tease it for its negative aspects. There is even a reference to TikTok’s ban in India – which happened on June 29, 2020.

While many businesses saw a slowdown in demand because of the COVID-induced lockdown, Netflix and other OTT platforms saw an increase in revenue. The video ends with a promise from the Netflix India team – ‘You do your best and we’ll do ours. Stream on.’