The digital platforms have not only emerged as a blessing for the viewers but also for the actors. Mirzapur actor Rasika Dugal shared with indianexpress.com, "It has given us a very big thing, which is the regularity of work. So, just the opportunity to be able to practice one’s craft for many days in a year is a boon and a blessing, I can only be grateful. And the fact that your work reaches a wider audience, it is a gratifying feeling.”
She added, "I didn’t really think that this (work on OTT platforms) was going to turn out like this. I didn’t know the digital space was going to become so big. I just responded instinctively to the scripts that I was being offered as they seemed very interesting projects. I think I got lucky. I don’t think I had a foresight into it or had a vision or a good strategy. For example, when Mirzapur was offered to me, I thought it was a great role to play. I hadn’t been offered anything even remotely similar to that before. I didn’t know that I was entering a space that is one day going to become a popular option.”
Written and directed by Park Hoon-jung, this South Korean horror-action film is about a young girl who escapes a government facility that conducted experiments on kids 10 years ago. What happens when strange people start entering her life forms the rest of the plot.
Kristen Bell stars in this series that brings together castmates of high school musicals for a reunion. The series also features recreations of the performances they gave as school kids.
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Mr Fox finds it hard to control his animal urges to steal and eat. However, his ways one day lands him into a deep sea of trouble which results in him getting trapped by some goons. Will he be able to find his way out?
Starring Arjun Chakraborty, Madhumita Sarkar, Paoli Dam and Anindita Bose in the lead roles, Love Aaj Kal Porshu is a Bengali romantic drama that can be explained as a cross between Groundhog Day, The Truman’s Show and Love Aaj Kal.
Voice is one of those series that will blow you away by its sheer brilliance. The series is about a temperamental, guilt-ridden detective Moo Jin Hyuk (essayed by Jang Hyuk) and gifted profiler Kang Kwon Joo (Lee Ha Na) who join hands to catch the serial killer who murdered their loved ones. Let the simplistic premise not fool you as this show is filled with concepts of criminology and psychology that will fascinate you. Unfortunately, only the first season is available on Netflix, but don’t let that deter you. This show comes highly recommended.
The war of sexes has never been so entertaining. The tale of a headstrong lady going on a rampage after being spurned by the man of her dreams never gets boring. Of course, it is Rajinikanth who sold the tickets, but the movie belonged to Ramya Krishnan. Before Sivagami Devi, she ruled the screens as Nilambari.
Shala is a Marathi web-series steaming on YouTube. It is a story of three school friends and how they tackle every day issues that come their way. It is a beautiful coming of age story, which will give you a peek into the lives of students in the interiors on India.
If you are looking for a fun movie to watch, then be sure to check out Detective Pikachu. Ryan Reynolds stars as the adorable Pokemon who teams up with a teenager, Tim, as they attempt to uncover the mystery of Tim's father's disappearance.
Featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Preity Zinta in the lead, this romantic comedy still remains an audience favourite even after all these years of its release.
By far the best thing on Quibi, When the Streetlight Go On is about a high school teacher and a teen girl murdered in cold blood. A boy goes on a quest to solve the mystery. It is Stranger Things, turned down a notch. Here is one series that uses the bite-sized format very well.
All 31 seasons of The Simpsons, which is 678 episodes, are now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. The long running animated sitcom first premiered in 1989 and has been a fan favourite ever since its premiere. The series is known for making weird predictions that bizarrely come true.
This series features a bunch of middle school students who navigate their way through puberty with some additional help from “hormone monsters”. Featuring several comedy veterans like John Mulaney, Nick Kroll, Maya Rudolph and Jordan Peele, Big Mouth is full of deadpan humour, and it makes for a fun watch.
Starring Vijay Deverakonda in the lead role, World Famous Lover has been directed by Kranthi Madhav and also stars Raashi Khanna and Aishwarya Rajessh. Indianexpress.com's Manoj Kumar R wrote in his review of the film, "World Famous Lover is not a cheesy romantic story about a man hurting from inside and fighting to win back the love of his life. It is an indictment of the male gaze that fails to see the other side of the story: women."
Marathi film Aga Bai Arrecha! is directed by Kedar Shinde and stars versatile actors Sanjay Narvekar and Dilip Prabhavalkar and Priyanka Yadav. It is a classic modern day urban comedy directed by Kedar Shinde and is loosely based on Hollywood comedy What Women Want.
Director Mat Whitecross shot footage of the band Coldplay for almost 20 years, which was later compiled for this documentary. Coldplay: A Head Full Of Dreams follows Coldplay’s rise to fame. It also features interviews of band members and a great soundtrack.
This dystopian sci-fi film, directed by Steven Speilberg, is set in the year 2045 when a virtual reality game, OASIS, is part of everyone’s lives. The story follows an orphaned teenager Wade Watts, as he tries to stop a powerful corporation from taking control of OASIS’ ownership.
Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Irrfan Khan together bring to table a gem of a family drama. The movie has been helmed by Shoojit Sircar. Read the full review here.
An intriguing tale of two female detectives, Eve and Villanele -- the show's first season was created by Fleabag's Phoebe Waller Bridge. Its third season, which recently hit the small screen, has been receiving great reviews.
Sriram Raghavan’s Badlapur is counted as one of the best films in Varun Dhawan’s filmography. It is the story of Raghu (Dhawan) whose wife and son are accidentally murdered, and he plans to avenge their deaths. Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays an able villain and it is a total delight to see his character change colours. Towards the end, you might find yourself feeling sympathetic for the wrongdoer instead of feeling bad for the victim of the crime. The film also stars Vinay Pathak, Radhika Apte, Divya Dutta and Huma Qureshi. For more Varun Dhawan film, click here.
High Time is a six episode dark comedy web-series streaming on YouTube channel Karvanda Nirmitee. The show stars Aashutosh Gokhale, Kshitish Date, Sainath Ganuwad, Shddjarth Mahashabde, Ketaki Narayan and Tanvi Kulkarni. It is a story about four friends who explore their lives and failures together, and yet promise for a better tomorrow which depends on strengthening their friendship and never giving up on each other.
Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim is a watered-down version of Grey’s Anatomy and that’s perfect if you, like me, think the latter has become over-the-top. As the name suggests, it’s a medical drama with all the elements that make for solid, uninterrupted viewing. There is a neglected hospital, a brilliant surgeon/mentor, romance, edge-of-the-seat medical surgeries and some good-old action scenes. Why would you not watch it? It is noteworthy to mention that this show is among the very few K-dramas to get renewed for a second season.
Starring Atul Kulkarni, Neil Bhoopalam, Ashwini Bhave, Kunal Karan Kapoor and Reena Wadhwa, The Raikar Case is Voot Select’s latest offering. Indianexpress.com’s Arushi Jain called the whodunnit “compelling” and wrote in her review, “The main selling point of The Raikar Case is its able cast. Atul Kulkarni, who plays the family patriarch, is as good as he has always been. Ashvini Bhave's experience shows in her performance.” Click here to read more.
The Sam Raimi-produced (he has also helmed a few episodes) show delves into dark legends from different places in the United States. Even though it is not particularly scary, 50 States of Fright is an entertaining affair.
This documentary follows Alex Honnold as he prepares to climb El Capitan in Yosemite. For those who don’t know much about solo climbing, it’s climbing a mountain without any gear. The documentary is a perfect example of a film where you are engrossed in the protagonist’s journey, even if you know nothing about them or their sport. Free Solo won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in 2019. Read More
Marathi film Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi can never be too old to be watched and rewatched. This Ashok Saraf, Lakshmikant Berde and Sachin Pilgaonkar (Sachin also directed the film) starrer is seen on TV quite frequently, but if you have missed watching it, please do it now. The comic timing, the dialogues and the performance, it will all keep you hooked. Read more
For those of you who have seen Hanna the film, Hanna the web series will come as a pleasant surprise. It starts slow but builds carefully and precisely. The series delves deeper into Hanna’s psyche, or at least that’s how it looks like in the first couple of episodes.
This documentary examines the life and work of Hollywood director Steven Spielberg. With interviews of Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, JJ Abrams, Tom Hanks and Daniel Day Lewis among others, this documentary is a deep dive into Spielberg’s super successful career. Here, we get a glimpse into the genius’ mind and how he created masterpieces like Jaws, ET, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan among more.
Sports drama Mukkabaaz, starring Vineet Kumar Singh, Jimmy Shergill and Zoya Hussain, is the first love story from the lens of Anurag Kashyap. It also holds a mirror to society. In the drama set in Bareilly, Vineet plays Kshatriya wrestler Shravan who falls in love with deaf-mute Brahmin woman Sunaina. This angers her uncle Bhagwan Das (Jimmy Sheirgill) who uses his position as the head of the state boxing federation to sabotage Shravan’s career. Through the love story, Kashyap tried to dwell deep into the caste dynamics of Uttar Pradesh.
Anurag Kashyap’s first release Black Friday is a riveting tale based on the 1993 bombings that shook Mumbai. Though the film was not a commercial success, it has gained a cult status over the years. Kashyap through his actors recreated the actual events as faithfully as possible. Kay Kay Menon, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vijay Maurya and Aditya Shrivastava among others gave spectacular performances in the film. Read more
This Saurabh Jain and Pooja Sharma show is another retelling of the Hindu epic Mahabharat. If you don't compare it to BR Chopra's saga, this one will surely be able to engage you from the word go!
Netflix’s dark comedy Hasmukh features Vir Das in a never-seen-before avatar, where he plays the role of a stand-up comedian and a serial killer.
Also read | Hasmukh first impression: Vir Das is exceptional in this Netflix series
Balancing work and home is not everyone's cup of tea. And Manoj Bajpayee's character in Raj and DK's web show The Family Man struggles to achieve that kind of harmony. However, his profession as a spy makes it somewhat tricky for him to do what he wants.
Also read | The Family Man review
This wacky show revolves around a mad, alcoholic scientist Rick and his grandson, Morty. Each episode takes you on a crazy sci-fi adventure. The comedy drama has gained so much popularity for its imaginative concepts and dark humour, that it’s almost a cultural phenomenon, like The Simpsons. All four seasons are streaming on Netflix, and the show is perfect binge-watching material.
The second season of Four More Shots Please! Is set to begin streaming on April 17. The show, which revolves around the story of four best friends who love each other fiercely, stars Sayani Gupta, Maanvi Gagroo, Kirti Kulhari and Banji J in the lead roles.
Also read | Four More Shots Please Season 2 review: Reality check needed
Are you obsessed with Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge? If you gave an affirmative nod, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania is the perfect pick for this weekend. It has a similar narrative with Raj (SRK) and Simran (Kajol) being replaced by Humpty (Varun Dhawan) and Kavya (Alia Bhatt). It has a few crackling dialogues, easy-breezy chemistry between the lead pair and a pinch of humour too.
Anushka Sharma’s debut production venture, NH10 starring her, Darshan Kumar and Neil Bhoopalam is a film about a woman’s survival in a world devoid of law and order and her journey to escape the barbaric civilization along with her husband.
Also read | NH10 movie review: Anushka Sharma's movie is so horrifying that you can’t blink
Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Jitendra Kumar, Gajraj Rao, Neena Gupta and Manu Rishi is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. The film’s plot revolves around the love story of two men who are trying to convince their family to accept their relationship.
Also Read | Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan movie review: The chase of love