Six new OTT releases to stream this weekend

MUMBAI: The weekend watchlist is getting a serious plot twist, with six new films and series landing across JioHotstar, SonyLIV, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video from 18 September.

From a Malayalam survival thriller and an ivory-smuggling action drama to Korean period romance and an Indian anthology exploring love and desire, the latest OTT arrivals cover plenty of ground for viewers looking to swap the remote for a streaming binge.

Leading the Malayalam slate is Thudakkam, now streaming on JioHotstar. Directed by Jude Anthany Joseph, the action-survival thriller follows Meenu, a young woman living with her father in a hill village whose life is thrown into turmoil after an unexpected crisis forces her into a fight for survival.

The film marks Vismaya Mohanlal’s acting debut and also features Ashish Joe Antony, Sai Kumar, Chippy Renjith and Manoj K. Jayan, with Mohanlal making a special appearance. Thudakkam is available in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi.

SonyLIV has added another Malayalam action title with Kattalan. Set against rival ivory-smuggling operations along the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, the film follows a fearless hunter who becomes entangled in a dangerous battle with a powerful syndicate.

Antony Varghese, Sunil, Kabir Duhan Singh and Dushara Vijayan lead the cast in a story fuelled by violence, betrayal and revenge. Kattalan began streaming on 18 September.

Netflix, meanwhile, has gone from border battles to palace intrigue with The Scandal, a Korean period romance set in Joseon-era Korea.

The series follows Lady Cho, Cho Won and Hui-yeon as they become caught up in a dangerous wager involving seduction and desire. Starring Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook and NANA, the series is directed by Jung Ji-woo and inspired by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ 1782 novel Dangerous Liaisons.

Amazon Prime Video brings a coming-of-age romance with You+Me – Against The World. The film follows 18-year-old Alma Lancaster, a wealthy young woman whose family believes she is studying law, while she secretly pursues her real ambition of becoming a filmmaker.

Her plans take a turn when she meets Vadim Arcadi, a young man with a troubled past, while working on a student film. Vittoria Di Savoia and Lucas Barski star as Alma and Vadim respectively.

Netflix has also released the third chapter of its anthology franchise Lust Stories 3. The film brings together four stories directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, Kiran Rao, Shakun Batra and Vishal Bhardwaj, exploring love, desire, relationships and human connection from different perspectives.

The ensemble cast includes Radhika Apte, Konkona Sen Sharma, Aditi Rao Hydari, Radhika Madan, Vijay Varma, Ali Fazal and Siddharth, among others.

Rounding out the weekend’s arrivals is Irumudi, a Telugu-language action drama streaming on Netflix. Directed by Shiva Nirvana, the film stars Ravi Teja, Priya Bhavani Shankar and Sai Kumar.

The story follows a father who undertakes a revered spiritual practice at his daughter’s request while also searching for his missing daughter. Netflix lists Telugu as the original language, with Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam audio versions also available.

With six releases spanning survival, crime, romance, desire, family drama and action, the OTT weekend is clearly refusing to stick to one genre — giving viewers plenty of reasons to press play.