Here’s our pick of OTT releases to watch this week.
MAI (Netflix)
A middle class wife, mother and volunteer nurse witnesses a first-hand tragedy that forever changes her world. In an instant, she finds herself sucked into a rabbit hole of violence, crime and power. Sakshi Tanwar is Mai, as she dons a new avatar (Sheel), who is determined to uncover the truth about the death of her daughter, Supriya. ‘Mai’ is a layered, crime drama and thriller series produced by Karnesh Ssharma of Clean Slate Filmz and directed by Anshai Lal & Atul Mongia. With Sakshi Tanwar at the helm, Mai hosts an exciting ensemble including actors, Vivek Mushran, Wamiqa Gabbi, Anant Vidhaat, Raima Sen, Ankur Ratan, Prashant Narayan, Vaibhav Raj Gupta and Seema Pahwa. The series marks the directorial debut for Mai creator, writer and showrunner, Atul Mongia. With the launch of the trailer, Atul opens up (below) how his real life experiences enabled him to create and write ‘Mai’.
Bachchhan Paandey (Amazon Prime Video)
Directed by Farhad Samji and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, the film also stars Kriti Sanon, Bobby Deol, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad Warsi, Riteish Deshmukh. It is a gripping story that involves a gangster ‘Bachchhan Paandey’ (Akshay Kumar) and an aspiring director, Myra Devekar (Kriti Sanon) who decides to make a biopic on a real-life gangster. Her extensive research leads her to one name, the most menacing, one-eyed ‘Bachchhan Paandey’ of Baghwa. Things take an interesting turn one day when she finally gets the chance to gain an insight into Bachchhan’s life by getting caught by him. Bachchhan Paandey will be available to stream on the service starting April 15, 2022.
James (SonyLIV)
As part of SonyLIV’s efforts to amplify its regional content library with varied stories that speak of the ethos and culture that is quintessentially Indian, the streaming platform has exclusively acquired the rights to stream late actor Puneeth Rajkumar’s last film, James, on April 14. James is an action-thriller about a security agency owner, Santosh Kumar (played by Puneeth), who goes by the name James. He gets commissioned to protect Vijay Gayakwad (Srikanth), a drug lord, from the impending threats posed by his counterparts and competitors, one of whom is played by Sarath Kumar. As the plot thickens with the characters getting embroiled in the dark world of the drug mafia, the story reveals more about who James really is and the actual reason behind all his actions. Helmed and written by Chethan Kumar and produced by Kishore Pathikonda, James pairs Puneeth opposite Priya Anand.
Death on the Nile (Disney+ Hotstar)
Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot’s Egyptian vacation aboard a glamorous river steamer turns into a terrifying search for a murderer when a picture-perfect couple’s idyllic honeymoon is tragically cut short. Set against an epic landscape of sweeping desert vistas and the majestic Giza pyramids, this dramatic tale of love gone wrong features a cosmopolitan group of impeccably dressed travelers and enough wicked twists and turns to leave audiences guessing until the final, shocking denouement. Filmed with 65mm Panavision cameras in late 2019, Death on the Nile transports audiences to the 1930s, recreating many of the locations that served as inspiration for Christie’s glamorous, high society thriller.
The Kardashians (Disney+ Hotstar)
Kim Kardashian’s follow up reality show The Kardashians, releasing on Hulu, will also be available on Disney+ Hotstar in India from April 14. The series will show the Kardashian sisters and how their lives have changed in the last few months, since the wrap up of the long-running reality show Keeping Up With the Kardashians. The official Instagram page of the OTT platform shared the trailer of the series and captioned it, “We’re trying to keep up with our excitement! #TheKardashians streaming soon on #DisneyPlusHotstar.”
