This week, we have a rich platter of greatness, survival, black magic, journalistic undertones, unlikely romance and abuse of women. The biggest release of all is Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Netflix blockbuster Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, which explores the pre-Partition world of tawaifs (courtesans) in Lahore, who had a special social status and made a significant contribution to the struggle for Indian independence. Bhansali originally planned to make a film on the subject, but as the story was too elaborate, he decided to make a series instead.
Next in line is the second season of Sonali Bendre's show about the media industry, The Broken News. This show exposes the face of today's biased media, which feeds on sensationalism and conveniently discards the ethics of fair journalism.
In terms of subsequent theatrical releases, we have the Mollywood blockbuster Manjummel Boys, which is based on a true incident when a boy fell into a dangerous cave and was rescued by his untrained friends. We also have Ajay Devgn's Shaitaan, in which a sinister man (played by R. Madhavan) performs black magic on a young girl and threatens her family to let him go. Both the films have been massively successful and are still releasing in theatres.
For documentary enthusiasts, Prime Video has released a compelling documentary where a gender activist embarks on a journey on foot across India over eight months to raise awareness against violence and abuse against women.
There's also something for Hollywood fans. Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway is romancing a young musician in Prime Video's latest original film, The Idea of You.
List of the best OTT releases this week
With that, here are the top OTT releases we recommend this week. Happy bingeing!
Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar
When: Now streaming
Where: Netflix
Heeramandi takes viewers to Lahore's pre-independence red-light district, where tawaifs (courtesans) were no less than queens, and all the city's big films, like the Nawabs, are sent to the area to learn their etiquette and gestures. .
The series will introduce you to tawaifs of all kinds: seductive, rebellious, heartbroken, poetic, emotionally twisted, jealous, callous, patriotic and more, and each has a tragic story of its own. Particular attention has been given to the often overlooked role of the tawaif in India's struggle for independence.
Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who is directing a web series for the first time, has managed to keep his signature style of filmmaking intact with lavish settings of grandeur and luxury.
The ensemble cast includes Manisha Koirala, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sonakshi Sinha, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Sharmin Segal, Taha Shah Badussha, Shekhar Suman, Adhyayan Suman, Fardeen Khan, Jason Shah and Indresh Malik. In addition to the numerous protagonists, the series offers many side character arcs.
Shaitaan
When: May 4, 2024
Where: Netflix
The Rishis are a happy little family of four: Kabir, Jyoti, Jahnvi and Dhruv. They are vacationing at their farmhouse in a remote hill station when a mysterious man named Vanraj enters their lives and brings them misfortune.
He offers Jahnvi a ladoo infused with black magic to hypnotize her, after which the poor girl starts following Vanraj's instructions like a puppet. The cunning man demands that the family give it to him or else he will continue to order Jahnvi to do strange, strange and dangerous deeds. The rest of the film narrates the desperate efforts of the Rishis to save her.
The eerie film offers plenty of scares and is the Hindi remake of the 2023 Gujarati horror film Vash. Shaitaan had a decent response at the box office and is still running in some theatres.
The Broken News Season 2
When: Now streaming
Where: Zee5
For those of you who haven't seen the first season, The Broken News focuses on two rival news channels: one that believes in fair journalistic practices and the other a nationalist channel where sensationalism and political influence rule the day. In the previous season, Ameena Qureshi (Sonali Bendre) loses her cool when her protégé is thrown into an anti-national corner and decides to follow the path of TRP-obsessed journalists. This season sees Qureshi pushed to his limits and carefully portrays the different emotional and psychological layers of a damaged person. On the contrary, (the nationalist channel's character Jaideep Ahlawat begins to realize the monstrous impact of his deeds. The eight-part series is adapted from the BBC Press series and can be broadcast in Hindi, Tamil and telugu
The idea of you
When: Now streaming
Where: Prime Video
Anne Hathaway stars as a 40-year-old single mother and art mogul who begins an unexpected romance with Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the 24-year-old lead singer of a musical band whose performance she accompanies her teenage daughter . This unlikely couple not only challenges the social conventions of love, but also explores their polar opposite worlds. The heartwarming romantic comedy is an adaptation of Robinne Lee's 2017 novel of the same name. Michael Showalter directs.
WOMB (Woman of My Billion)
When: Now streaming
Where: Prime Video
Gender rights activist Srishti Bakshi made headlines in 2018 when she decided to walk 3,800 kilometers from Kanyakumari to Srinagar, to raise awareness about violence against women in India. Along the way, she spoke to students and community groups about what it means to be a woman in India. Produced by Emmy-winners Apporva Bakshi and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, the documentary also includes testimonies from three survivors. Ajitesh Sharma directs.
Boys from Manjummel
When: Now streaming
Where: Hotstar
Chidambaram's Manjummel Boys took a big step in the world of cinema by becoming the highest grossing Malayalam film ever, surpassing the record previously set in 2018. The hit film revolves around a group of friends from an art club in Kochi who go on a trip to Kodaikanal during the Onam holidays. Their vacation comes to an alarming halt when one of the friends falls into a dangerous ravine, leaving everyone in a panic. How the boy manages to save his friend, surrounded by nothing, is the crux of the story. It deftly explores multiple layers of friendship through the lens of a survival thriller. Manjummel Boys is based on a true incident in 2006 when a boy fell in a similar manner in the Guna Caves and was bravely rescued by his friend.
