Upcoming movies and shows on Prime Video, Hotstar, Netflix, and more for October 2021

June was more or less a blockbuster month on Indian OTT platforms. We had big-ticket Indian movies --- and this report, it should be said, tends to focus more on Indian offerings --- like Jagame Thanthiram, Sherni, Cold Case, The Family Man Season 2, Sunflowers hogging the limelight.

So the question is can July emulate and match the scorching pace that the previous month had set. On paper at least it looks so that it can. We have a potpourri of releases that include the much-anticipated, and much delayed, Toofaan. The sensuous Haseen Dillruba. The thriller Collar Bomb. And from the always reliable Malayalam film industry, the interestingly titled Sara's. Of course, there is also the Malayalam flick Malik, starring the star of the OTT, Fahadh Faasil.

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The ode to the young anthology Feels Like Ishq is also set for release on a streaming platform. Of course, there are plenty more regional offerings, which are still being finalised by the various platforms.

Also, there are also many interesting Hollywood and foreign series for which there is always a good market in India. So here is our list for July. 

• Where to watch Prithviraj's new Malayalam movie Cold Case
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Haseen Dilruba

Synopsis: This is a story that is filled with lust, love, intrigue and mystery. A newly-wed woman, who is into reading pulp novels, finds herself caught in the investigation into the murder of her husband. She is a woman with a past and her affair with her ex was a tumultuous one. While her marriage was a thorny one. The husband was  overly obsessive and suspicious of her behaviour.   Basically, she ends up as a suspect in her husband's death. The film has the right amount of humour, intrigue, quirk and glamour.

Hungama 2

Synopsis: A Hindi comedy movies, sequel to the 2003 film Hungama features Shilpa Shetty, who is making her comeback to the big screen after a while. It is loosely based on director's own 1994 Malayalam film Minnaram with a different climax. The film stars Paresh Rawal, Shilpa Shetty, Meezaan Jaffrey and Pranitha Subhash.

A caboodle of characters and a lot of mistaken identity, comedic errors and glamour are the major ingredients of this entertainer.

State of Siege: Temple Attack

Based on the 2002 Akshardham Temple attack in Gujarat, the State of Siege: Temple Attack deals with a group of terrorists entering the temple, locking down the temple and keeping the public as hostages. This is where the NSG commandos step in to save the day. 

In the middle of chaos, Akshaye Khanna, who makes his debut in a web series, plays a lead role is taking over the control. The group of commandos fight back with courage 一 but how many hostages will they be able to save? The State of Siege: Temple Attack is a follow up to the State of Siege: 26/11 which was based on the 2008 Mumbai attack. To get the specifics right and realistic, Lt. Col (retd.) Sundeep Sen, the second in command at the NSG during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, was included as a consultant on both occasions. 

Malik

Synopsis: This was supposed to have a theatrical release first. But as it happened, the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions put paid to those plans. But a Fahaadh Faasil movie is, in a sense, is tailor-made for OTT platforms. His last three releases --- C U Soon, Irul, and Joji --- have all been direct-on-streaming platform. His verily the star of the OTT universe in India.

The director Mahesh Narayanan started his career with Take Off, which starred Fahadh Faasil. His last movie was with Fahadh, C U Soon.

Fahadh plays Sulaiman, the ‘Malik’ for the fisherfolk. The film is set in a fishing village in Kerala from 1965 to 2018. Although there is a talk that the film is based on a true incident involving two coastal villages, the director recently said in an interview that the film is a work of fiction.  This was supposed to be his first project with Fahadh. But it was held back due to budget constraints.

Toofaan

Synopsis:  After the big success of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag which released 7 years ago, actor Farhan Akhtar and director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra are joining forces once again for Toofaan, which is a tempestuous tale of a boxer. As with all boxing movies, there is raw violence, and gentle emotions to counterbalance it. It's the story of a goon from the streets of Dongri set against the backdrop of boxing, his fall and triumphant comeback against all odds in life.

“After working with Farhan in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, I was certain he would be the perfect protagonist for Toofaan. The best thing about him is that he does not act the part, but lives it completely. Toofaan is a story that will motivate and inspire all of us to get out of our comfort zones and fight towards achieving our dreams," says the director.

The much-delayed film is a straight-on-the-OTT platform release. 

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The Tomorrow War

Synopsis: For those of you who are a fan of time travel movies, Chris Pratt will be on the screen in a lead role in this Amazon Prime’s original movie. The story is based on time travelers from 2051 who arrive to deliver an urgent message. Thirty years hence, mankind is fighting a losing battle against a deadly alien species. The only prospect of survival relies on recruiting and transporting soldiers and civilians from the present and onto the battlefield of 2051. 

Among those recruited is high school teacher and family man Dan Forester (Chris Pratt). Determined to save the world for his young daughter, Dan teams up with a brilliant scientist (Yvonne Strahovski) and his estranged father (J K\ Simmons) in a desperate quest to save the planet.

Mimi

Synopsis: Releasing on July 30, Mimi on Netflix brings Pankaj Tripathi and Kriti Sanon in a film together again. It is a comedy-drama and a remake of the National Award-winning Marathi film Mala Aai Vhhaychy! (2011). 

Mimi, a role played by Kriti Sanon, a young woman is introduced to an American couple who want her to be their surrogate mother by Bhanu (Pankaj Tripathi). Mimi agrees to be a surrogate after listening to their offer of Rs 20 lakhs. But, a few months later, the couple doesn’t want the baby and asks her to abort it. Mimi decides against it and everyone suspects Bhanu as the father of her child. 

Sara’s

Synopsis: Anna Ben is one of the charming finds in the Malayalam film industry in recent times. Her gamine charm has worked in all the movies she has starred in so far. Be it Kumbalangi Nights or Helen or Kapella, she has shown that she has the acting chops aside from her winsome presence.

In Sara’s she plays an aspiring filmmaker. She meets a young man with whom she sees eye to eye on various issues, including the choice of not having a child. The movie is a light hearted take on how society and family pressurises young couples in matters concerning relationships, marriage and pregnancy.

Hostel Daze Season 2

One of the popular web series among Indian youths, Hostel Daze is back with Season 2 featuring Adarsh Gourav, Ahsaas Channa, Ayushi Gupta, Luv Vispute, Nikhil Vijay, Shubham Gaur in the lead role. 

While the first season revolved around four hostel friends in the first year of their college, in the Season 2 they are now back as seniors. Now that they’ve levelled up, you can expect some hostel drama around ragging and fights between them to win over a girl. The series will also answer a couple of major questions 一 Did they pass MTH101? And what happens between Akanksha and Ankit?

Feels Like Ishq

Synopsis: Anthologies are getting popular on OTT platforms. And Feels Like Ishq is one more addition to the growing list. This one is an anthology of six stories, and as can be gauged from its title, it is about the various aspects of love and its attendant heartaches. There is love, grief, loss, and laughter, as the characters begin to understand what exactly love is to them. The film has an ensemble cast and brims with youthful vigour. The six stories highlight the various textures of love. Netflix, which recently had Ray anthology, hopes to strike a similar success with Feels Like Ishq.

Collar Bomb

Synopsis:  The story is centred on a celebrated cop who has a haunted past. His life is turned upside down when he is forced to follow the commands of a suicide bomber who threatens to blow up a school. Jimmy Shergill plays the policeman who is made to run. He has said, in the film's promo statement, “Collar Bomb is a really special project for me as it’s a highly captivating thriller series about an unimaginable hostage situation. While I have portrayed the role of a police officer before, the role of SHO Manoj is much more intense, complex, and dark, thereby allowing me to play around with a range of complex emotions.”

Loki

Two episodes of Loki will be streamed in July. 

Synopsis:  The mercurial villain Loki (Tom Hiddleston) resumes his role as the God of Mischief in this Marvel Studio's new series that takes place after the events of “Avengers: Endgame.”  After stealing the Tesseract during the events of Avengers: Endgame, an alternate version of Loki is brought to the mysterious Time Variance Authority (TVA), the bureaucratic entity that exists outside of time and space and monitors the timeline. 

They give Loki a choice: face being erased from existence due to being a "time-variant", or help fix the timeline and stop a greater threat. Loki ends up trapped in his own crime thriller, travelling through time and altering human history. Or so reads an official release from the studios.

Ikkat

Synopsis: Ikkat, a Kannada comedy-drama movie is part of Amazon Prime Day 2021 launches. The movie seems to be set during the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. Presented by Pawan Kumar, a couple on the verge of divorce have to stay together during lockdown as a nasty surprise awaits them. It stars Nagabhshana, comedian and Big Boss Kannada fame actress Bhoomi Shetty.

Tom & Jerry movie

The 90s kids who grew up watching Tom & Jerry shows every day will love this movie for sure and even if you haven't watched any show, this movie is a good and fun watch.  Jerry, the mouse moves to New York City’s finest hotel where  “the wedding of the century,” is planned for the weekend. 

Chloë Grace Moretz, who becomes interim hotel event manager, hires Tom (Cat) to get rid of Jerry. She tries to keep her job and host the wedding successfully at the hotel itself. But, soon bigger problems arise, will she be able to host the wedding successfully and manage both Tom & Jerry? 

Chloë Grace Moretz plays a lead role while Pallavi Sharda and Colin Jost play the wedding couple role and MCU's Michael Peña also plays an important role. 

Rick and Morty (season 5)

Synopsis: The American cartoon sitcom is back for a fifth season and the latest is now streaming on Netflix. Rick and Morty season 5, episode 1 was streamed on  June 27, 2021, and every Sunday there will be a new episode 一 which means the fourth and the fifth episode will be streamed on July 11 and July 18 respectively. 

For those who are unaware, the series deals follow mad scientist Rick and his grandson Morty. The series originated from a short parody of Back to the Future and charts the misadventures of mad scientist Rick and his well-meaning but slightly naive 14-year-old grandson, Morty. Although its a cartoon, it’s worth mentioning that this series is for mature viewers who can take the copious violence, alcohol consumption, and sexual content in stride

Will Black Widow release in India in July?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Black Widow will not be released in India in July. Disney Plus Hotstar has confirmed that Black Widow will be available on the platform in India at a later date 一 likely to be October. 

Other films and series to look forward to in July

• Monsters at Work - Disney+ Hotstar - July 7
• How I Became a Superhero - Netflix - July 9

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