There
is
quite
a
variety
of
subjects
turning
up
on
OTT,
as
film-makers
are
freed
from
the
box
office
pressure.
But
there
is
still
no
getting
away
from
casting
movie
stars
in
made-for-streaming
films
but
some
unusual
plots
do
get
greenlit.
The
top
10
films
of
the
year
may
not
be
great
by
themselves
but
they
stand
out
amidst
the
other
OTT
releases.
Deepa
Gahlot
lists
her
top
10
movies
made
for
OTT.
Bhakshak
Where
to
watch:
Netflix
Reports
of
girls
being
abused
in
orphanages
and
shelter
homes
make
it
to
the
news
occasionally
but
the
effects
of
the
media
outrage
never
lasts.
Still,
this
film,
produced
by
Shah
Rukh
Khan’s
Red
Chillies,
directed
by
Pulkit,
based
on
a
true
story,
sees
the
crime
from
the
point
of
view
of
a
female
journalist
(Bhumi
Pednekar),
playing
a
role
in
which
a
male
would
have
been
cast,
were
it
a
big
screen
feature.
Vaishali
is
fearless
and
driven,
even
though
she
has
to
put
up
with
opposition
from
her
family
and
a
husband
who
would
have
preferred
a
traditional
wife.
She
takes
on
a
powerful
gangster
who
runs
a
sex
racket
using
hapless
women
trapped
in
shelter
homes
that
are
meant
to
protect
them,
and
brings
down
the
whole
ring
of
predators.
Lantrani
Where
to
watch:
ZEE5
This
small
anthology
film
with
the
odd
title
did
not
get
the
attention
it
deserved;
it
portrayed
three
stories,
set
in
small
towns,
about
ordinary
people
who
break
rules.
Directed
by
award-winning
film-makers
Kaushik
Ganguly,
Bhaskar
Hazarika
and
Gurvinder
Singh,
with
actors
like
Johnny
Lever,
Jisshu
Sengupta,
Jitendra
Kumar
and
Nimisha
Sajayan,
‘collected
and
written’
by
Durgesh
Kumar,
the
writer
of
the
popular
OTT
show
Panchayat,
the
stories
are
satirical
and
relatable.
Johnny
Lever
was
wonderful
as
the
luckless
constable
on
the
last
day
of
active
duty,
who
has
to
transport
a
prisoner
from
lock-up
to
court
on
a
motorcycle
he
cannot
ride,
with
a
gun
he
cannot
fire.
Only
in
India!
Amar
Singh
Chamkila
Where
to
watch:
Netflix
Punjabi
singer
Amar
Singh
Chamkila’s
meteoric
rise
and
tragically
premature
death
is
now
folk
legend.
He
and
his
wife
Amarjot
(played
by
Parineeti
Chopra)
were
gunned
down
when
he
was
just
27.
But
in
that
short
span,
he
packed
in
fame,
love
and
controversy
to
last
a
lifetime.
The
role
was
perfect
for
singer-actor
Diljit
Dosanjh.
Director
Imitaz
Ali
gave
full
rein
to
his
creativity,
using
animation,
photographs
and
footage
of
the
real
Chamkila
and
Amarjot
and
A
R
Rahman’s
music,
along
with
Chamkila’s
to
create
a
biopic
that
was
meant
for
the
big
screen.
Dedh
Bigha
Zameen
Where
to
watch?
JioCinema
Pulkit’s
film
pays
tribute
to
Bimal
Roy’s
1953
classic
Do
Bigha
Zamin,
and
tells
the
heart-wrenching
story
of
an
honest,
law-abiding
Anil
Singh’s
(Pratik
Gandhi)
battle
against
a
corrupt
MLA
who
grabbed
a
piece
of
land
his
father
had
left
for
him.
The
cops
refuse
to
file
a
complaint
against
the
MLA
and
the
court
dismisses
his
petition.
He
is
aware
that
it
is
a
long
and
fruitless
fight,
but
Anil
believes
he
must
go
through
with
it
for
his
own
self-respect.
Unlike
the
similar
Khosla
Ka
Ghosla
(2006),
this
story
does
not
have
a
happy
ending,
which
makes
it
all
the
more
believable.
Women
Of
My
Billion
Where
to
watch?
Amazon
Prime
Video
Srishti
Bakshi
did
the
near
impossible.
She
embarked
on
a
‘walking
pilgrimage’
from
Kanyakumari
to
Srinagar,
interacting
with
women
along
the
way,
and
learning
firsthand
about
their
problems.
This
documentary,
directed
by
Ajitesh
Sharma
(and
co-produced
by
Priyanka
Chopra
Jonas),
follows
her
over
38,000
kilometres
over
230
days.
The
problems
of
women
in
small
towns
and
villages
of
India
seems
immense
and
insurmountable,
so
for
urban
armchair
activists,
it
is
an
eye-opener.
At
the
end
of
it
an
exhausted,
yet
elated,
Srishti
Bakshi
is
able
to
say,
‘My
India
is
not
beyond
repair.’
Because
if
she
saw
despair,
she
also
saw
hope.
Maharaj
Where
to
watch:
Netflix
Set
in
the
19th
century,
this
Siddharth
P
Malhotra
directorial
is
based
on
the
real
case
of
a
progressive
journalist
Karsandas
Mulji’s
(Junaid
Khan)
expose
of
the
religious
leader
Jadunath
Maharaj
(Jaideep
Ahlawat),
who
sexually
exploits
female
devotees.
Karsan
has
to
face
the
opposition
of
his
family
and
community,
and
eventually
a
defamation
case
filed
by
the
godman.
Maharaj
has
the
power
to
threaten
witnesses,
silence
dissent
but
in
the
end,
Karshan’s
honesty
and
persistence
wins.
Sadly,
Karsan’s
campaign
against
blind
faith
had
little
impact.
Even
today,
gullible
people
follow
dubious
cults.
Phir
Aayi
Hasseen
Dillruba
Where
to
watch:
Netflix
The
sequel
to
the
pulpy
Hasseen
Dillruba,
this
one
directed
by
Jayprad
Desai,
picks
up
after
Rani
(Taapsee
Pannu)
and
Rishi
(Vikrant
Massey)
escape
a
murder
scene
(he
chops
off
his
hand
to
leave
a
fake
clue)
and
settle
in
another
town.
They
don’t
live
together
for
fear
of
the
cops
and
hope
to
collect
enough
money
to
flee
the
country.
Then,
a
cop
(Aditya
Srivastav)
from
their
past
turns
up
carrying
his
suspicions
with
him.
But
worse,
the
dead
man’s
uncle
(Jimmy
Shergill)
arrives
with
the
promise
of
exposing
the
two
and
their
crime.
Rani
has
to
use
the
help
of
an
admirer
(Sunny
Kaushal)
to
formulate
another
convoluted
plan
to
get
out
from
under
the
cop’s
hawk
eyes.
The
film
is
far-fetched
but
also
enjoyably
thrilling,
as
Montu
Chacha
makes
life
hell
for
the
couple.
Berlin
Where
to
watch:
ZEE5
Atul
Sabharwal’s
film
evokes
the
Cold
War
era,
and
the
kind
of
spy
universe
created
by
John
le
Carré.
Set
in
Delhi,
when
the
Soviet
leader
is
due
to
visit
and
intelligence
agencies
get
wind
of
an
assassination
plot.
Ashok
(Ishwak
Singh),
a
deaf-mute
waiter
from
Cafe
Berlin,
where
spooks
meet
and
exchange
intel,
is
arrested
for
being
a
spy.
He
is
taken
in
for
interrogation
by
Sondhi
(Rahul
Bose)
and
a
simple
sign
language
teacher,
Pushkin
(Aparshakti
Khurana)
is
bulldozed
into
acting
as
the
interpreter.
Pushkin
finds
himself
in
a
sinister
nightmare,
but
Ashok
has
been
a
few
steps
ahead
all
along,
his
disability
being
no
hindrance
to
his
astuteness.
CTRL
Where
to
watch:
Netflix
Vikramaditya
Motwate’s
film
CTRL
has
a
very
‘today’
story:
A
cautionary
tale
about
the
consequences
of
allowing
social
media
apps
too
much
access
to
personal
details.
Nella
(Ananya
Panday)
and
her
boyfriend
Joe
(Vihaan
Samat)
are
popular
influencers,
which
means
they
share
everything
about
their
lives
together
to
gather
more
followers.
When
Joe
breaks
up
with
Nella,
in
a
fit
of
rage
and
humiliation,
she
signs
up
for
an
AI
app
and
chooses
a
male
assistant
to
help
rid
her
online
platforms
of
Joe’s
images.
She
gives
the
app
admin
access,
and
basically
all
permissions
to
read
and
access
her
mails
and
messages.
The
AI
avatar
she
names
Allen
(voiced
by
Aparshakti
Khurana)
acts
friendly
but
gradually
takes
over
her
life.
The
format
of
the
film
is
screen
life,
which
means
for
most
part
the
action
is
seen
on
a
screen
but
to
a
generation
that
has
phones
practically
grafted
to
their
hands,
this
is
no
obstacle
in
enjoying
a
thriller
that
speaks
to
them.
Agni
Where
to
watch:
Amazon
Prime
Video
There
are
scenes
of
the
fire
brigade
in
action
in
many
movies
but
Rahul
Dholakia’s
film
is
about
firefighters,
and
about
time
too.
Through
the
eyes
of
the
protagonist
Vitthal
Surve
(Pratik
Gandhi),
the
film
tells
the
story
of
how
the
sacrifices
of
firefighters
are
never
acknowledged.
They
are
on
call
24/7,
put
their
lives
on
the
line
every
time
they
enter
a
burning
building,
but,
as
a
character
in
the
film
says,
nobody
can
name
a
single
firefighter.
The
film
is
a
belated
hat-tip
to
these
unsung
heroes.
