New offerings on Indian OTT platforms this week

Whenever there is a big-ticket release that is straight on the OTT platforms there is a huge expectation. This week we actually have two. So it is a blockbuster weekend.

Drishyam 2, the Mohanlal Malayalam starrer on Amazon Prime Video and Pitta Kathalu, the Telugu anthology film on Netflix are the two biggies.

Aside from them, we have another Telugu movie Midnight Murders and the Hindi movie Eeb Allay Ooo! that comprise our weekly recommendations.

Without doubt, this is a heavyweight weekend for film viewing as four different movies vie for your attention.

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Pitta Kathalu

Director: Tharun Bhascker, Nandini Reddy, Nag Ashwin, and Sankalp Reddy

Cast: Eesha Rebba, Lakshmi Manchu, Amala Paul, and Shruti Haasan

Synopsis: This is the Telugu adaptation of the popular Netflix anthology Lust Stories. All four short films are women-centric, and they are centered around the challenges women face while navigating through the eternal maze of relationships.

The talented Shruti Haasan leads the story xLife, directed by Nag Ashwin, Amala Paul stars in Meera directed by Nandini Reddy, Eesha Rebba essays the title role in director Sankalp Reddy’s story Pinky, and Saanve Megghana plays the main character in Tharun Bhascker’s Ramula, which also stars Lakshmi Manchu.

The story-telling is raw but sensitive --- something of a trait in most OTT-first offerings. Also, as a line in the film's publicity brochure said, it is the first-ever anthology related to eroticism in mainstream OTT.

Language: Telugu

Platform: Netflix India

Release date: February 19, 2021.

Eeb Allay Ooo!

Director: Prateek Vats

Cast: Shardul Bhardwaj, Mahender Nag, Shashi Bhushan, Nutan Sinha, Naina Sareen and Nitin Goel

Synopsis: Social satire is a genre that is hard to pull off. but Prateek Vats has come up with one that is poignantly hilarious --- you laugh weekly to hide the ache. Right from the title, which is an onomatopoeaic reference to the gibberish used by monkey chasers --- the story is about them, by the way --- the films drips with sardonicism. But the film doesn't pull back its punches and exhibits a rare courage of convictions. Through sweeping use of metaphors and allegories, the movie addresses themes as prickly as nationalism and religious bigotry, the plight of the marginalised, and the entitlement of the elite. If you like your weekend to be fun as well as thought-provoking, this movie is for you.

Language: Hindi

Platform: Netflix

Release date: February 18, 2021.

Midnight Murders

Director: Midhun Manuel Thomas

Cast: Kunchacko Boban, Sreenath Bhasi, Sharaf U Dheen, Unnimaya Prasad and Jinu Joseph

Synopsis: As ever, Aha is hoping to strike it rich with the Telugu adaptation of a popular Malayalam movie. This time it has gone for Anjaam Pathiraa, the Kunchchacko Boban starrer.

The story is close to a police procedural. A gritty team of cops assisted by a consultant criminologist set out to unravel the mystery of a faceless killer who employs brutal tactics to slay his victims who happen to be police personnel.

Murderous psychopaths lurking in dark shadows and the reasons that made them sinister hold special attention to movie makers and audience alike. Midnight Murders gets most of the elements right to tell such a tale in the most engaging fashion.

Language: Telugu

Platform: Aha

Release date: February 19, 2021.

Drishyam 2

Director: Jeethu Joseph

Cast: Mohanlal, Meena, Esther and Ansiba

Synopsis: What do we say about Drishyam? Perhaps it is among most remade Malayalam movie across Indian languages. It was reprised in Tamill, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi. It was a blockbuster in almost all languages. The family of George Kutty and the travails they go through because of an accidental murder is now legion.

The family is now back in the thick of things. George Kutty is now a theatre owner who dreams of making a film based on a story he has written. His first daugher is still recovering from the shock of the traumatic events, while the second one is now a slightly rebellious teenager. The entire family, more so his wife Rani is living their daily lives with one eye behind their backs, as the fear of the police catching up always beckons.

So what is their challenge now, and how do they face up to it? Well, Jeethu Joseph's spectacular writing and Mohanlal's measured acting answer all the questions with rare panache.   

Language: Malayalam

Platform: Amazon Prime Video

Release date: February 19, 2021.

With two new straight OTT releases, this weekend the TV room in your house is a cineplex of sorts. Have a great time at your own theatre.

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