This week's recommendations for watching movies and series on Indian OTT platforms turned out to be an happy exercise as there was a good spread in terms of content. There is a standup comic show, interestingly compiled out of Zoom call chats (Vir Das' Outside In), a Tamil web series that is based on comedy of errors (Triples), a Hindi movie that is about sports, about terrorism, about plucky human spirit (Torbaaz), another Hindi movie about a ghostly house and a spunky woman IAS officer's efforts to get the better of the conspiracy spun around her (Durgamati), and finally, a Telugu film that is intriguingly titled IIT Krishnamurthy.
As we said, this is an interesting spread that should work for the most part.
- Netflix's StreamFest a big hit - 8 lakh new app downloads in India
- Indian OTT platforms make a beeline for Tamil content
- Amazon Prime Video to globally premiere nine Indian movies
Shrikant Bashir
Director: Santosh Shetty
Cast: Pooja Gaur, Yudhishtir Singh, Gashmeer Mahajani, Mukul Dev, Ashmita Jaggi, Imran Javed among others
Synopsis: Written by Shiraz Ahmed, this web series tells the story of the fictitious Surgical Operations Team (SOT) that goes about chasing international crooks while keeping the country safe from national and global threats. The tussle gets a broader brush as it encompasses the ideological and ethnic differences between the lead pair of secret service officials. While one is a stickler for procedure, the other says his only rule is not to follow rules.
Language: Hindi
Platform: Sony Liv
Release date: December 11, 2020.
Torbaaz
Director: Girish Malik
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Nargis Fakhri, Rahul Dev, Pransh Chopra and Humayoon Shams Khan
Synopsis: It is an action thriller involving children suicide bombers. But it is equally a slice of life story that involves cricket and the fledgling sporting nation Afghanistan. An former army doctor arrives amidst the kids whose destiny is dangerous and diabolic. The determined doctor uses cricket as the agent of nation and changes the lives of the children. It is a gritty at the same time feel-good tale. The action sequences are supposed to be top-notch, enhanced as they are by high quality CG work. Sanjay Dutt as the army doctor leads the pack with some fine performance. Rahul Dev, Nargis Fakri, Pransh Chopra and Humayoon Shams Khan also add heft to the cast.
Language: Hindi
Platform: Netflix
Release date: December 11, 2020.
IIT Krishnamurthy
Director: Sree Vardhan
Cast: Prudhvi Dandamudi, Maira Doshi, Vinay Verma, Bharathi Anand, Banerjee, Satya
Synopsis: Telugu people are made fun of for their fixation with IITs. a good percentage of the students in India's top engineering institute are from AP and Telangana. Now, as if living to that jokes, there is a Telugu movie out that has IIT in its title. IIT Krishnamurthy, to be precise, it is. As it happens, it is not a comedy movie or even tackles the subject of education. It is about a man's pursuit of his missing uncle. It is an interesting, suspense-filled story that is flecked with some songs and comedy. It is a movie that has an interesting premise.
Language: Telugu
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Release date: December 10, 2020.
Durgamati
Director: G Ashok
Cast: Bhumi Padnekar, Arshad Warsi, Mahie Gill, Jisshu Sengupta, Akshay Kumar
Synopsis: This is an official Hindi remake of the popular Telugu hit Bhaagamathie, that was headline by Ansuhka Sheety. Here Bhumi Padnekar plays that role. Arshad Warsi and Mahie Gill add value to the cast. This is the story of an IAS officer who falls a victim to a web of conspiracy spun around her. The film is in the horror genre, and it involves a haunted bungalow. Durgamati is confined in the big house, as with films of this type, the place is spooky. And that is where the drama kicks in. In that sense, it may be predictable. But it is an enjoyable ride.
Language: Hindi
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Release date: December 11, 2020.
Triples
Director: Charukesh
Cast: Jai, Vani Bhojan, Vivek Prasanna, Rajkumar
Synopsis: When Disney+ Hotstar announced with fanfare its slew of offerings over the next few months, Triples caught eye because it is produced by hotshot Tamil director Karthik Subburaj. But this one directed by debutant Charukesh is said to be a comic caper with romance and some situational gags based on 'identity errors' thrown in for good measure. It is said to be an all-round entertainer involving three bumbling friends. The sidekicks of the hero are named Maadhu and Cheenu --- names made famous by Crazy Mohan dramas. Now that makes the whole thing interesting.
Language: Tamil
Platform: Disney+ Hotstar
Release date: December 11, 2020.
Vir Das' lockdown special, Outside In
Synopsis: Vir Das is of course is among the top standup comics in India. He is among the handful who has managed to get a name for himself on the international stage. He has appeared in various popular TV shows in America. This show is for charity, and the 50-minute episode is pieced together from 30 virtual live-shows Vir Das did during the lockdown. He had released Outside In independently on his website for charity in August. And now he is offering the show on Netflix. The interesting thing about the show is that it is compiled from his gigs that he did over, well, Zoom. And the topics are typically myriad. But the focus is fun. The underlying theme is the human condition trapped in the pandemic.
Language: English
Platform: Netflix
Release date: December 16, 2020.
Happy weekend watching and stay tuned for more as the holiday season is soon to kick in. We will have more recommendations on Indian OTT platforms.
