New OTT releases. Since the end of January, there have been a few big releases on OTT platforms almost every week. This week will be no different.
We have some of the biggest names in the Indian film industry releasing their films directly to streaming platforms.
Our list this week includes the highly unexpected Hindi film Jalsa, the Hindi web series Apharan Season 2, and the Malayalam films Salute, Lalitham Sundaram, and Aarattu.
Jalsa
Director: Suresh Triveni
Cast: Vidya Balan, Shefali Shah, Rohini Hattangadi, Surya Kasibhatla, Manav Kaul, Kashish Rizwan
Language: Hindi
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Release date: March 18, 2022.
Any film starring Vidya Balan these days will be geared towards women. This one also has Shefali Shah, another energetic actress. So Jalsa, a direct OTT release, will be decidedly emotional, gripping, and even haunting. The two are working together on film for the first time. Vidya plays the role of a television journalist while Shefali takes on the role of a chef. The film is intended to be an exciting social drama about class differences.
Jalsa is directed by Suresh Triveni, who previously worked with Vidya on Tumhari Sulu (2017).
For the record, Vidya’s two previous releases, Shakuntala Devi (2020) and Sherni (2021), also premiered straight to streamers.
Salute
Director: Rosshan Andrews
Cast: Dulquer Salmaan, Diana Penty, Manoj K Jayan, Lakshmi Gopalaswami, Sania Iyyappan, Alancier, Binu Pappu, Vijayakumar, Saikumar
Language: Malayalam
Platform: SonyLIV
Release date: March 18, 2022.
Dulqer Salmaan’s latest release on OTT Kurup caused quite a stir. In Kurup he played a fugitive on the run, in Salute the young star is on the other side of the fence, so to speak. In this director he plays the policeman Aravind Karunakaran. OTT Release Diana Penty, who has appeared in Bollywood films like Cocktail and Happy Bhag Jayegi, is about to make her Malayalam film debut with this police drama.
The film was originally scheduled to hit theaters in mid-January. But the Covid situation did not allow that. Once that window was missed, the film always targeted streamers. The film is being produced by Dulquer’s local brand, Wayfarer Films.
Lalitham Sundaram
Director: Madhu Wariar
Cast: Biju Menon, Manju Warrier, Saiju Kurup, Deepti Sati, Anu Mohan, Zarina Wahab, Raghunath Paleri
Language: Malayalam
Platform: Disney+ Hotstar
Release date: March 18, 2022.
Lalitham Sundaram is Manju Warrier’s first direct OTT release.
This in-house production for her is directed by her brother, newcomer Madhu Wariar. This film marks his meeting with Biju Menon Kannezhuthi Pottum Thottu almost two decades ago.
Following the trailer, this family entertainer travels through the lives of a young couple, played by Anu Mohan and Deepti Sati, and an old woman, coached by Biju Menon and Manju Warrier. The story apparently deals with the issue of compatibility in a marriage and the various emotions that come with it.
The film will likely be emotional and funny, the kind of mix that Malayalam films have made their own.
Aarattu – New OTT releases april 2022
Director: Unnikrishnan B
Cast: Mohanlal, Shraddha Srinath, Vijayaraghavan, Saikumar, Siddique, Riyaz Khan, Kottayam Ramesh, Indrans
Language: Malayalam
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Release date: March 20, 2022.
Aarattu is a Malayalam film set in Telugu film territory. In it, he’s a cheeky mass masala entertainer. When this Mohanlal starring man hit theaters, he was declared a hit, although critics weren’t happy with it. The recent old Malayalam films to gain national recognition. Aarattu is aimed at those who don’t mind their movie entertainment being over the top.
It also pays homage to many Mohanlal artists from the late ’90s and 2000s, be it Aaram Thampuran, Narasimham, Ballettan, Chandralekha, and even Chithram. There are also references to his recent blockbuster Lucifer.
To be fair to Mohanlal and the director, they didn’t make any major claims prior to the film’s release. They said that Aarattu, as the name suggests, will be a film with a festive atmosphere. They wanted the audience to go to the theater and enjoy themselves. The movie and that’s what happened.
The film will be broadcast on Sunday (March 20).
Apharan Season 2
Director: Santosh Singh
Cast: Arunoday Singh, Nidhi Singh, Snehil Dixit Mehra, Saanand Verma, Sukhmani Sadana, Jeetendra Kapoor
Language: Hindi
Platform: Voot Select
Release date: March 18, 2022.
It seems that this is the season of investigators named Rudra. We just had Ajay Devgn star in Rudra: The Edge of Darkness. And now comes Apharan Season 2 which is about another police officer named Rudra Srivastava. In the first season of this popular series, the brave policeman from Haridwar gets involved in a bribery case. And he gets involved in the dirty kidnapping of a woman. Everything gets complicated before he manages to get rid of all the problems.
In season two, Rudra is in a different league, the mantle and sword of international espionage. He is forced to catch terrorists hiding in Serbia. So the action shifts to the international frontier for this battle-hardened detective. And he also has some domestic problems. Deal with it. It’s action-packed, spicy, and also emotional.
It is a series of 11 episodes. Apharan 2 – Sabka Katega Dobara was created in collaboration with Ekta R Kapoor and Jio Studios.