There was a time when two or three movies used to release in theaters every weekend. Now the trend has changed for three to five major films or web series arriving on the OTT platform on a regular basis. The week gone by was all the more special since weekend kick-started with Gandhi Jayanti holiday and that resulted in as many as for major releases on 2nd October [Khaali Peeli, Nishabdham, Serious Men, Bahut Hua Sammaan] with one more release [High] before the close of week.
I personally liked High the most entertaining and in-depth of them all. Though the core of its promotion was centered on the intake of drugs on the streets and the high rise of Mumbai, with sensationalism created by the very mention of Bollywood and the world of glamour, it actually is much beyond that. As it turned out, this Nikhil Rao debut directorial web series, which runs across 9 episodes, was more about the underbelly of the drug industry and wasn't really doing an exposé per se on the high and mighty using it.
With an ensemble comprising of Akshay Oberoi (a regular now on the OTT medium), Shweta Basu Prasad (another regular) and Ranvir Shorey (enjoying the time of his life), High scores most from the manner in which it goes to the grass-root of the drug manufacturing and how street peddlers to high profile DJs find a place in the supply to get the 'maal' to the consumer.
Dark, edgy and at times uncomfortable as well, it had a cliffhanger that left me a little surprised as I was waiting for some sort of a pay off. However, I am told that MX Player already has a plan in place to bring on the second season which means the story is set to continue from where it paused.
Khaali Peeli was fun. I was actually fortunate to watch it in a drive-in theater at Gurgaon and hence could munch my popcorn in the comfort of my car, instead of watching it on Zee Plex where it has been released in a PPV (pay per view) model. The numbers coming from the online screening have not yet been made public but I can say from first-hand experience that the drive-in saw houseful across all three days [2nd - 4th October] on its release.
Producer Ali Abbas Zafar and director Maqbool Khan knew that they were making escapist cinema and hence took an unabashed approach towards the same. It was as 70s and 80s as it gets and I could well imagine Anil Kapoor or Mithun Chakraborty smacking their lips remembering the kind of masala films they used to do in their heydays. Ishaan Khatter and Ananya Pandey indeed had a task in hand to let go of their posh urban upbringing and get into the 'Mumbaiya andaaz'.
Of course when they signed the film, they wouldn't have imagined that the film would release at a time when nepotism debate would be at its peak. Not surprisingly though, there was quite some negativity that was visible on the IMDB platform with very poor ratings. However, as has been proven now, in the times when even official TRPs can be manipulated then this is still an online medium in the hands of every netizen. I for sure was in a mood for some escapist cinema while watching this one and didn't mind my two hours of fun.
Serious Men promised a lot due to the coming of Nawazuddin Siddiqui in a Sudhir Mishra film for Netflix. The director did well recently with Hostages 2 where he was the show runner. However Serious Men seemed to have taken itself way too seriously, as a result of which the makers went ahead and created something truly implausible on screen. The core plotline (that of a father faking that his son is a genius) was full of so many loopholes that I wondered how it could go beyond paper. Had it been a spoof, it would have worked. Here it is just passable.
Another release that started off quite well but made me wonder a bit about the loopholes in the plot was Nishabdham. The core idea of a haunted house with horror happenings for everyone who stepped in there was interesting, more so due to its Seattle setting. With Madhavan and Anushka Shetty coming together, it was a good merger of Tamil and Telugu industries by director Hemant Madhukar.
Amazon Prime played it well to acquire this one for digital release and right till the pre-climax, the twists and turns worked. With a better motive established for the antagonist's action, the climax would have really worked. For now though, it turns out to be a film for those who were missing Madhavan and Anushka on screen.
The one that pleasantly surprised me was Bahut Hua Sammaan on Disney + Hotstar. Arriving with zero publicity, this spoof on the 70s/80s films with satire on capitalism and 'rashtravaad' amused me right through its two hour duration. Sanjay Mishra is always fun to watch and with (foolish) youngsters Raghav Juyal and Abhishek Chauhan playing college students who just follow instructions blindly for a bank heist, this Ashish R. Shukla directed film replete with expletives doesn't have any boring moments. Add to that the very reliable Nidhi Singh and it's truly game on.
Watch out for
Though there are quite a few releases this week as well, the one that I am looking forward to is Scam 1992 on Sony LIV. Those from the 90s would remember how Harshad Mehta scandal had shocked the nation and had even threatened to bring the economy down. Now director Hansal Mehta has come up with a full blown web series that narrates the tale with utmost detail. It has premiered today and one has to give it to the makers [Applause Entertainment] for having designed the kind of content that has already caught everyone's attention.
Stay tuned, as I come back again next Friday and talk about Scam 1992 as well as other movies/series to have arrived on various OTT platforms.
(Joginder Tuteja is a trade expert and film critic, and loves to talk and write about anything that is related to films. Views are personal.)
