By Joginder Tuteja




It was an eventful week on OTT platforms as Mimi saw an early release on Netflix and Disney+Hotstar had a very good follow up to its hit web series City of Dreams.


Mimi was supposed to arrive on Friday but piracy resulted in change of plans for the film. In a way, producer Dinesh Vijan would have found a silver lining in the fact that the film was arriving on digital medium due to which revised plans were put into motion right away and there was an instant release on the OTT. Had that not been the case and the film had only theatrical plans that one can't imagine the kind of losses the makers would have suffered.


Nonetheless, all of this is not the thing of the past as the good news is that the Kriti Sanon and Pankaj Tripathi starrer has won accolades from all over. A rare family entertainer (and that too despite the taboo subject of surrogacy), the Laxman Utekar directed film has emerged as a good entertainer for all. The film has seen good eyeballs coming its way and the lady of the show, Kriti Sanon, has found appreciation from all quarters. This has been a career defining act by her and that too with Pankaj Tripathi has been his usual best with a remarkable act again.


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Another biggie of the week has been the second season of Applause Entertainment's City of Dreams. The first season which released in 2019 had made a 'dhamekdaar' impression. That was the time when the OTT market was still heating up and now when Nagesh Kukunoor has put together the second season, the digital medium is the most 'in' thing. In these times, to have a bonafide political drama is most welcome and the filmmaker has done quite well to come up with yet another rock solid offering, which is pretty much on the expected lines.


In an author backed part, Priya Bapat is fantastic all over again and while she gave a mature performance in the first season as well, in the second she has taken it to the next level. Eijaz Khan is a delight to watch and with City of Dreams he has made audience as well as industry wonder all over again that why he isn't seen more often. After being in the background for most part of the first season, Atul Kulkarni has a much more prominent part in the second season and he has brought all his experience come into play. Overall, a fantastic show all the way.


Coming soon


2021 is turning out to be a Manoj Bajpayee show all the way as after Silence... Can You Hear It, The Family Man Season 2 and Ray, he is now back with another original film for the OTT medium. A thriller, Dial 100 is arriving at ZEE5 and promises to be a riveting affair where as a cop, he gets into an impossible situation after a mystery caller [Neena Gupta] dials the number, 100. the Rensil D'Silva directed film boasts of a good trailer and one can see that it's a proper feature film which is now releasing on the OTT.


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Of late, there has been a flurry of movies finding a release on OTT directly and while Toofan [spoerts drama], Hungama 2 [comedy], 14 Phere [romance] and Mimi [social] have all belonged to different genres, the wait was on for a bonafide thriller to arrive. This is where Sony Pictures and Siddharth Malhotra's production Dial 100 comes into picture as one can see that this is going to be a nail-biting affair. Moreover, with Manoj Bajpayee leading the show, there is definite class appeal which is expected in this crime thriller with a family angle to it.


Release dates


Dial 100 - ZEE5 - 6th August


(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)