OTT Round Up - Sidharth Malhotra's Shershaah Continues To Hold Fort, Tanuj Virwani Impresses Again In Cartel, Period Drama The Empire Next Week

Cartel is designed like an epic and for those who like to have their regular dose of underworld and mafia, the web series has a lot to offer.

OTT Round Up - Shershaah Continues To Hold Fort, Tanuj Virwani Impresses Again In Cartel

By Joginder Tuteja

It is amazing to see how Shershaah has been continuing to win accolades even though more than a week has passed since the release of the week. It has turned out to be one of those rare films to see all around appreciation coming its way with no iota of negativity whatsoever. Moreover, it isn't just the patriotism factor that is fetching the film more and more viewers with every passing day; it's the emotional connect that it has managed to form with one and all which is working hugely in its favor.

No wonder, Sidharth Malhotra is being looked at in a new light, even though he has been around for almost a decade. Sometimes, it is just one film which changes the course of an actor's career and ironically that has happened with an OTT release for Sidharth. One can well imagine how response at the box office would have been for this Karan Johar production had it release in theatres. The manner in which there is ever growing word of mouth going for the film, it wouldn't have been surprising had it gone the Uri: The Surgical Strike way. This one is a huge HIT.

Even for Tanuj Virwani, there is something similar happening with Cartel where he is being seen as a tough guy who talks business. He first made a big impression with the two seasons of Inside Edge and the anti-hero stream was visible in Poison which further got accentuated in The Tattoo Murders. Though he did well in Tandoor, unfortunately the web series couldn't find a big marketing push coming its way. However, the team of Cartel has ensured that he is presented quite prominently to the audiences and the actor has done well to make most of it.

The web series is designed like an epic and for those who like to have their regular dose of underworld and mafia, Cartel has a lot to offer. An ensemble affair led by Supriya Pathak, this one features Rithvik Dhanjani in a prominent part as well along with Jitendra Joshi, and both the actors have surprised too with the way they have brought out a different facet of their acting skills. For those who are fond of the likes of Mirzapur and Mum Bhai, Cartel does have ample ammunition to keep the entertainment quotient going.

Meanwhile for those looking for some hard hitting drama, there is 200 Hallo Ho which has just been premiered on ZEE5. What works best in this quick-fire movie is the big screen comeback of veteran actor Amol Palekar who is a delight to watch. As a retired judge who is sorted and doesn't take sides, despite the temptations, he holds fort like no one else in this Sarthak Dasgupta directed film which picks from newspaper headlines of a gruesome incident that had actually happened many years back in Nagpur where a group of ladies had lynched a rapist.

Coming soon

This week sees the release of period drama The Empire that is set in the times of Mughal invasion in India. Backed by Emmay Entertainment [Nikkhil Advani, Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani], it's directed by Mitakshara Kumar, erstwhile assistant to Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The influence is quite visible in the way The Empire looks since there is adequate grandeur and scale that is visible, basis the promo. Moreover, it also has an interesting ensemble cast that comprises of Dino Morea, Shabana Azmi, Kunal Kapoor, Aditya Seal and Drashti Dhami.

The web series arrives on Disney+Hotstar and one just hopes that it turns out to be yet another gripping drama for the OTT platform, just like the second season of Applause Entertainment’s City of Dreams turned out to be recently. There aren't many epic dramas like these are made for the small screen and The Empire could well lend an opportunity for others to follow as well, if the end results turn out to be exciting and entertaining enough.

Release dates

The Empire - Disney+Hotstar - 27th 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)