op weekly OTT releases: Heeramandi, Shaitan and more

This week, we have a rich plate of grandeur, survival, black magic, journalistic nuances, unlikely romance and abuse against women. The biggest release of all is Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s lavish Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar on Netflix, which explores the pre-Partition world of tawaifs (courtesans) in Lahore, who held a special social status, and India’s struggle for independence. Made important contribution. Originally, Bhansali was planning to make a film on the subject, but since the story was too detailed, he decided to make it a series.

Next up is the second season of Sonali Bendre’s show on the media industry, The Broken News. The show exposes the face of today’s biased media, which promotes sensationalism and easily sidesteps the ethics of impartial journalism.

In terms of post-theatrical releases, we have the Mollywood blockbuster Manjummel Boys, which is based on a true incident when a young boy fell into a dangerous cave and was rescued by his untrained friends. We also have Ajay Devgn’s Shaitan, in which a sinister man (played by R. Madhavan) casts black magic on a young girl and threatens her family to take him away. Both the films have received huge success and are still running in theatres.

For documentary buffs, Prime Video has released a compelling documentary where a gender activist sets out on a walking journey across India for over eight months to raise awareness against violence and abuse against women.

There’s something in it even for Hollywood fanatics. Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway is romancing a young musician in Prime Video’s latest original film, The Idea of ​​You.

List of top OTT releases this week

With that, here are the top OTT releases we recommend this week. Blissful binge-watching!

Constitution: Diamond Market

When: Streaming now

Where: Netflix

Hiramandi takes the audience to the pre-independence red light area of ​​Lahore, where courtesans were no less than queens, and all the bigwigs of the city, like the Nawabs, were sent to this area to learn manners and behavior from them. ,

This series will introduce you to all types of courtesans – seductive, rebellious, heartbroken, poetic, emotionally twisted, jealous, insensitive, patriotic and many more – each of whom has a tragic tale of her own. Special attention has been given to the often overlooked role of tawaifs in India’s freedom struggle.

Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali – who is directing a web series for the first time – has managed to retain his distinctive style of filmmaking with lavish sets that boast 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. Besides the numerous protagonists, the series offers plenty of side character arcs.

Satan

When: May 4, 2024

Where: Netflix

Rishi is a small and happy family of four: Kabir, Jyoti, Jhanvi and Dhruv. They are on a holiday to their farmhouse in a remote hill station, when a mysterious man named Vanraj brings misfortune into their lives.

He gives Jhanvi a black-magic-laced laddu to hypnotize her, after which the poor girl starts following Vanraj’s instructions like a puppet. The clever man demands the family to give her over to him, otherwise he will keep ordering Jhanvi to do strange, strange and dangerous tasks. The rest of the film describes the desperate attempts made by the sages to save him.

This horror film packs a lot of scares and is the Hindi remake of the 2023 Gujarati horror film Vash. Shaitan received good response at the box office and is still running in some theatres.

The Broken News Season 2

When: Streaming now

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 unbiased journalism practices and the other a nationalistic channel where sensationalism and political influence make the day. In the last season, Amina 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 various emotional and psychological layers of a wronged man. Conversely, (Nationalist Channel’s Jaideep Ahlawat’s character begins to realize the terrible impact of his deeds. The eight-part series is an adaptation of the BBC series Press and can be streamed in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

your view

When: Streaming now

Where: Prime Video

Anne Hathaway plays a 40-year-old single mother and an art mogul who begins an unexpected romance with a music band’s 24-year-old lead singer, Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine)—for whose performance she owes her teenage daughter. Was guiding. , This unlikely pair not only challenges societal conventions of love, but also explores their polar opposite worlds. This heart-warming romantic comedy is an adaptation of Robin Lee’s 2017 novel of the same name. Michael Showalter directs.

womb (woman of my billions)

When: Streaming now

Where: Prime Video

Gender rights activist Srishti Bakshi made headlines in 2018 when she decided to undertake a 3,800-kilometre walk from Kanyakumari to Srinagar to create 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-award winner Apparva Bakshi and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, the documentary also includes testimonials from three survivors. Directed by Ajitesh Sharma.

sweet boy

When: Streaming now

Where: Hotstar

Chidambaram’s Manjummel Boys has made huge strides in cinema by becoming the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time, surpassing the earlier record of 2018. This super-hit film revolves around a group of friends from an art club in Kochi who set out on a journey. Visit Kodaikanal during Onam holidays. Their vacation comes to a dangerous halt when one of their friends falls into a dangerous ravine, leaving everyone in panic. How the boy saves his friend surrounded by emptiness forms the crux of the story. It cleverly explores the many layers of friendship through the lens of a survival thriller. Manjummel Boys is based on a true incident of 2006 when a boy fell into the Guna Caves and was bravely rescued by his friend.