January has a rich slate of Web series and movies on the OTT platform. Joginder Tuteja gives us a quick look.
Haq
Where to watch: Netflix
Haq did fair business at the box office and earned a lot of critical acclaim.
With its release on OTT, the Yami Gautam-Emraan Hashmi starrer should get more good traction.
Director Suparn S Verma picked up a difficult subject and presented it well.
Freedom At Midnight S2
Where to watch: Sony LIV
Release date: January 9
When Nikkhil Advani came up with the first season of Freedom At Midnight in 2024, it ended on a cliffhanger, as one waited to see how the political decision to split India and Pakistan was done on a piece of paper with not much thought given to it.
Now that the second season is arriving, one is intrigued to see what happened after this decision was taken.
De De Pyaar De 2
Where to watch: Netflix
Release date: January 9
De De Pyaar De was a success, its sequel was expected to be twice the fun.
Unfortunately, the film was quite average and did not come close to its predecessor.
Still, the Ajay Devgn-Rakul Preet Singh-Madhavan-Meezaan Jaffrey film is a fair entertainer, and an easy watch.
The Night Manager S2
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Release Date: January 11
A decade after the British series first arrived, the second season of the thrilling spy drama The Night Manager returns on OTT.
Tom Hiddleston’s Jonathan Pine, who was tasked by an intelligence officer to discover the inner workings of a secretive arms dealer, embarks on a new mission here.
Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web
Where to watch: Netflix
Release date: January 14
Emraan Hashmi has been picking up some really exciting subjects, and now that he will be seen in Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web.
He plays a Customs officer in this Neeraj Pandey thriller, and has to race against time to crack a global smuggling racket.
120 Bahadur
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Release date: January 16
Farhan Akhtar’s war drama, directed by Rajneesh Ghai, is best experienced on the big screen due to its grand mounting and concept. Unfortunately, it didn’t do well at the box office.
On OTT, it’s certainly worth a dekko.
Mastiii 4
Where to watch: Z5
Release date: January 16
A comedy, which didn’t bring any laughs, Mastiii 4 is best forgotten.
Starring Riteish Deshmukh, Vivek Oberoi and Aftab Shivdasani, it didn’t make for an entertaining watch even for adult audiences in theatres, so one wonders how it will fetch eyeballs in home, where there are families around.
Tere Ishk Mein
Where to watch: Netflix
Release date: January 23
Before Dhurandhar, Tere Ishk Mein was the last big Bollywood hit.
Not many expected it to hit a century, but it did, and then some more.
At one point, it was poised to find itself in the Rs 150 crore (Rs 1.5 billion) zone, but the Dhurandhar euphoria meant that the Aanand L Rai-Dhanush-Kriti Sanon film is destined to find more audiences on the small screen.
Bridgerton Season 4
Where to watch: Netflix
Release Date: January 29
Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) takes centrestage in the new family romance, as he falls in love with a mysterious woman at a masquerade ball.
Gustaakh Ishq
Where to watch: Jio Hotstar
Release date: To Be Decided
Gustaakh Ishq didn’t find its audience in theatres but it may do so, on the small screen.
Starring Vijay Varma, Fatima Sana Sheikh and Naseeruddin Shah, this poetic watch deserves its fans.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
