With most of the big titles lined up for release next week, this one has a relatively lighter slate. This week's top Indian originals include Prime Video's teen drama Dil Dosti Dilemma, Amazon miniTV's hilarious Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare Season 3 and JioCinema's political thriller Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond, based on the Balakot airstrike.
Among the big post-cinema premieres is Laapataa Ladies, about two young brides from a village who get lost on a train. We also have Crakk: Jeetega… Toh Jiyegaa which is a story about men fighting to survive and not just to win.
This week is also very important for documentaries. Nature lovers could watch Tiger or Tigers on the Rise on Hotstar. True crime lovers could watch the Chilean series The Doomsday Cult of Antares de la Luz or the Spanish series The Asunta Case.
For those with an ear for music, we recommend Thank You, Good Night: The Bon Jovi Story, which chronicles the four decades of the iconic rock group.
Those looking for an adrenaline rush could check out Netflix's City Hunter, where a “sweeper” tracks down burglars and solves cases in the shadows of Shinjuku, Tokyo, or the K-drama Good Bye Earth, where there are only 200 days until an asteroid collides with the Earth.
Top OTT releases this week
With that, here are the top OTT releases this week worth watching:
Laapataa women
When: Now streaming
Where: Netflix
Laapata Ladies is a heartwarming film by Kiran Rao set in the rural heart of a fictional village where two newly wedded brides in identical dresses and endless 'ghoonghats' (veils) miss the same train: Phool Kumari (Nitanshi Goel) gets stuck at the railway station and is unable to remember the name of her husband's village, and Jaya (Pratibha Ranta) lands at the wrong 'sasural' (in-laws).
As Kumari desperately tries to get back with her in-laws, Jaya does everything in her power to keep this accidental exchange a secret.
Laapataa Ladies beautifully portrays the position of women in the society through a satirical lens and offers some good dialogues, heavy doses of laughs and an exciting roller coaster ride, all in a simplistic manner. It also brought Rao back from his long film hiatus, last directing Dhobi Ghat (2010).
Dil Dosti Dilemma
When: Now streaming
Where: Prime Video
Asmara (Anushka Sen) is an entitled and spoiled brat from a rich family whose life revolves around fashion, parties, shopping, social media and the validation of her two best friends (Revathi Pillai , Elisha Mayor), who are equally spoiled and would judge anyone who isn't cool by their standard. He is about to leave for Canada in a few days. However, all her dreams come crashing down when her mother (Shruti Seth) decides to cancel her trip and send Asmara to her grandmother's (Tanvi Azmi) house in Tibbri instead after realizing – it is known that Asmara has lost respect for its culture, roots and even elders.
Although Asmara is in a small town, every morning she prepares a backdrop of Canadian skyscrapers to video call her best friends, who think she's on vacation abroad, and that their lives are entangled in the his way
The show is a typical teen drama with a predictable plot. It's a light-hearted watch that touches on themes covered several times before. You can easily turn off your brain while playing this one.
Crakk: Jeetega… Toh Jiyegaa
When: Now streaming
Where: Hotstar
Vidyut Jammwal starring Crakk.. Jeetega To Jeeyega will take you into the dangerous world of extreme sports where winning is the only way to survive. Here, Jammwal essays the role of an ordinary man from the slums of Mumbai who rises from a life of anonymity to become a big name in these sports, where one's life is on the line with every breath. Jamwal, who has received proper training in Kalaripayattu, the equivalent of Indian martial arts, performs several jaw-dropping stunts in the film. Nora Fatehi has also done some action scenes. The film was widely touted as India's first film based on the dark world of extreme sports.
Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare Season 3
When: Now streaming
Where: Amazon miniTV
Zakir Khan's drama series, in which the comedian plays Ronny Bhaiya, a man who lies about his uncle being an MLA and aspires to be one one day, is back with the third installment. This season, Ronny Bhaiya is threatened by politician Ashwini Pathak (Abhimanyu Singh) to stay away from politics or else his loved ones will have to pay the price for his actions. Although Zakir's character gives in to the bully leader's demands, he finds it difficult to refrain from helping others. Needless to say, it towers over him now that his life plan of becoming an MP is no longer an option. Following the tone of the previous two seasons, a line of hilariously unexpected events unfolds.
Ranneeti: Balakot and beyond
When: Now streaming
Where: JioCinema
To the long list of Indian shows and movies based on the Balakot airstrike orchestrated by the Indian Air Force on an alleged training camp of a terrorist group in Pakistan, has also been added the Jiocinema's latest original series, Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond.
It narrates the incident with an intelligence officer (Jimmy Shergill) as the main focus, now suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) after a mission goes horribly wrong. What sets the show apart from others on the same subject is its insight into the cruciality of social media in determining the fate of a nation and Pakistan's astute portrayal of the incident in the global media.
Ashutosh Rana plays a major terrorist figure in this nine-part series. The launch of the show also coincides with Jiocinema's announcement of pocket subscription plans, starting at Rs. 29 per month. The show can also be played in Bengali, Kannada and Marathi.
The Big Door Prize Season 2
When: Now streaming
Where: Apple TV+
The Big Door Prize is about a small town whose destiny is changed forever when a mysterious machine begins to reveal the “true potentials” of the residents, pushing them to listen to their inner call. Now that the machine has become a pivotal object in rewriting the destinies of so many people, its declaration of the “next stage” should set the stage for anticipation and curiosity.
The second season picks up after its revelation and offers a perfect combination of comedy, drama, emotional nuances and complexities of human nature. The show comes from the creators of the popular Canadian sitcom Schitt's Creek and features a main cast of Chris O'Dowd, Dennis, Maki, Gupton, Segarra, Fox, Fourlas and Amara. New and returning guest stars include Justine Lupe, Aaron Roman Weiner, Mary Holland, Patrick Kerr, Cocoa Brown, Carrie Barrett, Elizabeth Hunter, Jim Meskimen, Matt Dellapina and Melissa Ponzio.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is being published from a syndicated feed.)
