Mum Bhai is streaming on ZEE5 and AltBalaji. With the festive season upon us, we need entertainment in our lives more than ever. The ongoing festival season earlier included parties and get-togethers, but with the social distancing mandate in place, many are isolating at home. Watching titles on OTT platforms at home has become the new way of spending time with the family, and platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, ZEE5, MX Player among others have made sure to supply us with new films and shows during the Diwali season.
Disney+ Hotstar released Akshay Kumar starrer Laxmii on November 9 to welcome the festive season. Directed by Raghava Lawrence, the film is a horror-comedy also starring Kiara Advani. The Indian Express’ Shubhra Gupta wrote in her review of the film, “Somewhere deep inside the mess that’s Laxmii, is the kernel of a solid idea: to give us the story of a transgender person, with empathy and sympathy. But this Akshay Kumar-starrer is a two-hour clutch-your-head, can-I-really-be-watching-this nonsense, from beginning to end.”
Ludo, written and directed by Anurag Basu, will premiere at 12:30 pm today on Netflix. The film is the story of four characters whose lives intersect. Ludo stars Abhishek Bachchan, Aditya Roy Kapur, Rajkummar Rao, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra, Pankaj Tripathi, among others. Ludo was earlier supposed to release in theatres but was later moved to OTT because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Starring Suriya, Soorarai Pottru is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Directed by Sudha Kongara, Soorarai Pottru is based on Captain G.R. Gopinath’s autobiography Simply Fly: A Deccan Odyssey. The book chronicles the struggles that he faced in his pursuit to launch a low-cost airline service. In an interview with indianexpress.com, Paresh Rawal spoke about working with Suriya and said, “You naturally compare him (Suriya) with our stars. Our stars are not any less. But, this guy is absolutely simple, normal and down to earth. No tantrums, no throwing his weight around. Ready with his dialogues, scenes, and all that. He’s very professional. I am not saying that our stars are not disciplined. But, working with a star like Suriya is such a pleasure. You never, for a moment, feel that you are working with such a megastar.”
The second season of Prakash Jha’s web series Aashram is streaming on MX Player. The series stars Bobby Deol as a fake-godman.
Emily in Paris, starring Lilly Collins, is the story of Emily, an American marketing executive who is sent to Paris for work. While some people liked the frivolous nature of the web series, most were disappointed with the blatant stereotyping of the French. However, the show offered some mindless fun. It is a good watch if you are tired of all the intense content.
The HBO show brings to life the trading floor and the young adults who can either make it or break it while they make multi-million dollar/pound deals through phone lines. In the heavily grey-toned show, set in London, we meet the fresh class of grads who are being initiated at Peirpoint, an exclusive, elite investment bank.
Also read | Industry review: Let’s play predict the plot
An endearing family drama, This is Us weaves a charming tale of a dysfunctional family. A beautiful show where characters seem to have a life of their own instead of being controlled by the strings in the hands of the creators. The show does have its dark moments, but its essence is that of love and family.
This is one of those Bollywood comedy-dramas which ticks all the right boxes–writing, performance, music and direction. Vicky Arora (Ayushmann Khurrana), a regular Delhi Punjabi boy is convinced by Dr Baldev Chaddha (Anu Kapoor), an infertility specialist, to become a sperm donor because, “By God, kamaal da sperm count hai”. All is going well for both of them until Vicky gets married and is unable to become a father.
Steven Spielberg’s con-drama was a runaway success, thanks to his fine direction and an equally able cast — Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen. Based on the life of a genius teen con Frank Abagnale, Catch Me If You Can was the perfect platform to showcase Leo’s charm, charisma and his acting chops. He not only looked the part, but was also able to keep up with his senior co-star, Hanks, in every frame of the movie.
Wish to know what is the biggest and most important story of our times -- coronavirus? Look no further. Coronavirus, Explained is a must-watch if you are unfamiliar with the topic or only have a superficial understanding.
Starring Saqib Saleem and Shweta Basu Prasad, Comedy Couple is a romantic comedy that follows two stand-up comics who want to become the first popular duo in the Indian comedy scene. Indianexpress.com’s review of the film said, “Shweta Basu Prasad does a credible job of playing someone who is confident and passionate about her goals. But Saqib looks like he is trying a tad bit hard to come across as the chill, upbeat and reckless Deep.”
Based on Robert Galbraith's crime books, this series follows Afghan War vet and private investigator Cormoran Strike and his assistant Robin as they solve mysteries. In case you are not aware, Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym of JK Rowling
Miss India is a Telugu-language drama film directed by Narendra Nath and starring Keerthy Suresh. Dani Sanchez-Lopez and Sujith Vaassudev have cranked the camera while S Thaman composed the music for the film. Rajendra Prasad, Jagapathi Babu and others also star.
Also Read | Miss India review: Keerthy Suresh movie is as dull as ditchwater
Akshay Kumar plays prisoner Aman Verma in psychological drama Sangharsh, which is sure to send a chill down the spine even today. The film revolves around the hunt for a serial killer. While Ashutosh Rana plays the serial killer Lajja Shankar Pandey, Preity Zinta is top cop Reet Oberoi in the movie. Watch it for the sheer brilliance of Kumar and Rana in their craft, and a gripping plot. Fun fact: Alia Bhatt plays the young version of Reet Oberoi in the Tanuja Chandra directorial.
Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm has Sacha's Borat Sagdiyev character returning to America. The original film, released in 2006, was about the titular fictitious journalist from Kazakhstan, who gets sent to the United States by his government to make a documentary on the country. In the sequel, Borat returns to a very different America, which is much more divisive. Borat is explicitly political the second time around.
There are many police dramas available for streaming and most go into different aspects of the job. Many are set in different locations and cover various angles. Criminal (UK) on Netflix focuses on the mental battle between detectives and suspects while holed up in a small interview room. The second season of four episodes was released in September and is a must-watch if you haven't seen yet.
Also read | Streaming in November 2020: Chhalaang, Laxmii, Bicchoo Ka Khel and others
Another miniseries worth your while would be The Queen's Gambit on Netflix. Also based on a book (1983 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis), the show stars Anya Taylor-Joy who is an orphan chess prodigy. It captures her attempt at becoming the greatest chess player while dealing with emotional issues and overuse of drugs and alcohol. The story is set in the mid-1950s and goes into the 1960s. As she gets better and more famous in chess, she has further trouble with substance abuse. Just the seven episodes in this one and can be binge-watched in a day.
One show that has risen the charts in the US since its start is The Undoing on Hotstar + Disney. Based on a 2014 novel, it stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant as Grace and Jonathan Fraser. Three episodes into this miniseries, it is a fantastic watch and keeps you hooked. Special mention for the camera work which does a brilliant job of capturing the intricate emotions.
The second season of the popular Prime Video is now streaming online. The new season of Mirzapur spans over 10 episodes. Indianexpress.com’s first impression of the new seasons says, “The second season takes a while to gain momentum. Unlike the first season, there’s no space for humour or even a splash of relief for viewers, which makes the episode viewing experience a bit exhausting.”
Kiran Reddy directorial Telugu thriller stars Rakesh Galebhe, Bhargava Poludasu, Poojitha Kuraparthi and Lakshmi Bharadwaj. The film, set in US, is the story of a couple who accidentally takes shelter at the home of a mysterious psychopath. The film has received rave reviews from the critics.
Dash & Lily, created by Joe Tracz, is based on the book Dash & Lily’s Book Of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn. The official description of the Christmas-themed comedy series reads, "Opposites attract at Christmas as cynical Dash and sunny Lily trade messages and dares in a red notebook they pass back and forth around New York City."
Akshay Kumar and Kiara Advani’s horror-comedy Laxmii is streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar. The Raghava Lawrence directorial revolves around an unsuspecting man whose body gets taken over by a spirit. The Indian Express’ Shubhra Gupta wrote in her review of the film, “Somewhere deep inside the mess that’s Laxmii, is the kernel of a solid idea: to give us the story of a transgender person, with empathy and sympathy. But this Akshay Kumar-starrer is a two-hour clutch-your-head, can-I-really-be-watching-this nonsense, from beginning to end.”
Read | Laxmii review
Bobby Deol returns as Kashipur Waale Baba Nirala in the second part of the MX Original Series Aashram. In chapter 2, we will see Baba Nirala's greed for power, money and lust grow manifold. This time, his aim is to acquire political clout, indulge in illegal activities and exploit women, as he loses the trust of his partner-in-crime Bhopa (Chandan Roy Sanyal).
Read | Aashram Season 2 review: More of the same