Most-awaited Bollywood OTT releases in January 2026 on Netflix, Sony LIV, JioHotstar, Prime Video, ZEE5

January 2026's Hindi OTT lineup features diverse titles like the legal drama Haq the historical epic 120 Bahadur, and the spy thriller Dhurandhar across Netflix, Sony LIV, and JioHotstar.

Tere Ishk Mein; Haq; Freedom at Midnight Season 2; Dhurandhar

Thrilling historical epics, dramatic courtroom dramas, and high-stakes reality TV will be among the many forms of content that will flood the Indian OTT scene in January 2026. This month's programming delivers a carefully selected blend of cerebral depth and pure entertainment, with titles like Haq bravely standing up for gender justice, MasterChef India taking viewers on a nostalgic culinary adventure, and Dhurandhar providing a heart-pounding dose of espionage. With titles like Gustaakh Ishq (a lyrical beauty set in Old Delhi) and De De Pyaar De 2 (a chaotic romantic comedy), the new year's selection on platforms like JioHotstar, Sony LIV, and Netflix guarantees cinematic quality.

Most-awaited Bollywood OTT releases in January 2026

Haq – January 2 (Netflix)

Inspired by the seminal Shah Bano case of 1985, Haq is a moving courtroom drama that explores the intersection of religion, gender justice, and constitutional law. Yami Gautam Dhar plays the role of Shazia Bano, a dedicated housewife whose life in Aligarh is upended when her husband, a revered lawyer called Abbas Khan, played by Emraan Hashmi, comes back from a journey with a second wife. Shazia begins a landmark legal struggle for maintenance under Section 125 of the CrPC after being deserted and then divorced via triple talaq, leaving her without financial support. In the end, Shazia challenges entrenched patriarchal understandings of personal law as her fight for dignity, aided by her lawyer Sheeba Chaddha and her progressive father Danish Husain, turns into a nationwide discussion on the Uniform Civil Code and the rights of Muslim women who have been divorced.

MasterChef India - Hindi Season 9 - January 5 (Sony LIV [OTTplay Premium])

Season 9 of MasterChef India (Hindi) will take viewers back to the show's origins with the spectacular theme "Pride of India" (Desh Front Foot Par Chal Raha Hai). Fan anticipation is tremendous. Home cooks are being challenged this season to showcase their regional identities, family legacies, and local cuisines on every plate in celebration of the nation's growing worldwide influence and rich culinary tradition. One of the most exciting parts is seeing the long-lost "OG" judging trio—Vikas Khanna, Ranveer Brar, and Kunal Kapur—reunited after all this time. They'll be guiding the participants through a challenging set of tasks that combine old-school methods with cutting-edge innovation. This season's storyline employs food as a vehicle for narrative, with the overarching goal of demonstrating that Indian food is so much more than a mere source of nourishment; it is also a wellspring of extraordinary national character and inventive tenacity.

ALSO READ: Dhurandhar review: Transformational Ranveer Singh and show-stealing Akshaye Khanna drive Aditya Dhar's gripping, unflinching spy saga

Freedom at Midnight Season 2 - January 9 (Sony LIV [OTTplay Premium])

Freedom at Midnight returns for a second season that focuses on the terrifying realities of partition and the immediate, disorganised aftermath of India's independence. The story, which is based on the groundbreaking work of Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins, delves into the political negotiations that took place after the "stroke of midnight" and the horrific human toll that was taken to carve out the new states of Pakistan and India. In this season, we see Rajendra Chawla as Sardar Patel, Chirag Vohra as Mahatma Gandhi, Arif Zakaria as Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and Sidhant Gupta as Jawaharlal Nehru, as well as the refugee crisis and the passionate arguments around the Calcutta and Lahore borders. The show attempts to depict the tenacity and chaos that characterise the opening months of a new era by combining the grand plan of the political corridors with the personal, sorrowful tales of a populace going through a period of transition.

De De Pyaar De 2 - January 9 (Netflix)

In De De Pyaar De 2 the narrative shifts from Ashish’s (Ajay Devgn) family to the challenge of winning over Ayesha’s (Rakul Preet Singh) parents in Chandigarh. The couple goes to India to meet Ayesha's father, Rakesh (R. Madhavan), who is just 1.5 years older than Ashish, after the latter persuades his own ex-wife and children of their unconventional connection. Rakesh and his wife, Anju, portrayed by Gautami Kapoor, perceive themselves as "modern and progressive". However, their dismay at the age gap prompts them to introduce a younger suitor, Aditya, portrayed by Meezaan Jafri, in an attempt to create a rift between them. The film turns into a wild showdown between different generations' perspectives on life and love, with Ayesha finally having to stand up to her manipulative father and Ashish's passive "maturity" to demonstrate that their love knows no bounds.

Spitsvilla X6 Season 16 - January 9 (JioHotstar [OTTplay Premium])

Introducing a high-stakes "casino" premise, MTV Splitsvilla X6: Pyaar Ya Paisa (Season 16) challenges contestants to prioritise strong emotional bonds over financial gains. The season takes place in the picturesque setting of Mahabalipuram, Chennai, and is hosted by the legendary Sunny Leone with the return of co-host Karan Kundrra. Participants in "Dil Ya Deal" are typically under enormous time pressure to determine if they are in the villa for true love or a calculated shot at the prize money, which adds a twist to the usual dating format. Official "Mischief Makers" Uorfi Javed and Nia Sharma are responsible for stirring up trouble, revealing hidden truths, and putting the couples' allegiance to the test. As the "Queen" and "King" of Hearts lead the singles through challenging physical and mental exercises, the season explores the question of whether contemporary love can withstand the overwhelming pull of greed.

Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web – January 14 (Netflix)

Investigating the underbelly of the world-renowned Mumbai International Airport, Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web is a high-octane crime thriller. The story revolves around Superintendent Arjun Meena, played by Emraan Hashmi, a customs officer known for his measured approach and lack of showmanship. He is in charge of a specialised squad, and her mission is to break up international smuggling syndicates that deal dangerous cargo as well as gold and luxury products. Shot in four different nations, the plot follows the "cat-and-mouse" game played out between the police and an unstoppable cartel that uses normal transportation and trade as a cover for its illicit activities. While Meena uses deep surveillance and goes undercover, he faces pressure from inside and must deal with a world where everyone on board is a suspect and every bag is a secret in order to bring down a criminal empire.

120 Bahadur - January 16 (Prime Video)

Contextualised within the Sino-Indian War of 1962, the riveting historical epic 120 Bahadur narrates the famous "last stand" at Rezang La. The film tells the story of Major Shaitan Singh Bhati (Farhan Akhtar) and the 13th Kumaon Regiment, who lead a battalion of 120 soldiers, mostly from the Ahir community, against a formidable force of more than 3,000 Chinese soldiers. The guys endure subzero temperatures and have no artillery assistance while stationed at a crucial mountain route in Ladakh at an elevation of 18,000 feet. The troops defy instructions to withdraw and instead fight to the death to defend the Chushul airfield. The story, as seen through the eyes of radio operator and survivor Ramchander Yadav (Sparsh Walia), deftly weaves together graphic battle scenes with touching tales of friendship and sacrifice, paying tribute to the valour that won the Param Vir Chakra for Major Singh and cemented his unit's place in Indian military lore.

Mastiii 4 - January 16 (ZEE5 [OTTplay Premium])

Returning to its trademark "adult-comedy" structure, the franchise unleashes a "Reverse Masti" twist in Mastiii 4 that tests the series' conventional dynamics. The original trio—Amar (Riteish Deshmukh), Meet (Vivek Oberoi), and Prem (Aftab Shivdasani)—find themselves crushed by the routine of their home life and the peculiarities of their wives in this British comedy. The trio successfully asks for a "love visa" after meeting their friend Kamraj (Arshad Warsi), whose wife (Nargis Fakhri) grants him a one-week pass for adulterous affairs. Their wild vacation plans go into disarray, though, when the men find out that their spouses have also taken the "Love Visa" seriously and are going on an exotic trip of their own. As the guys in the film engage in a series of comical miscommunications and "double-play" tricks to try to win their wives over, they realise that their marriages are in jeopardy.

Tere Ishk Mein - January 23 (Netflix)

Tere Ishk Mein is a tumultuous romantic tragedy that explores the delicate balance between devotion and devastation. Mukti (Kriti Sanon), a psychology PhD student who thinks love can cure inherent violence, subjects Shankar (Dhanush), a fiery student leader in Delhi, to a clinical trial. He has deep trauma from a childhood fire. The relationship between Shankar's obsessive love and Mukti's emotionally distant treatment of him as a "project" culminates in a disastrous house fire, a botched UPSC attempt, and the devastating loss of a family member. Several years down the road, the action moves to Leh, where Shankar is now an elite Air Force pilot who has grown defiant and grounded for insubordination; Mukti, who is now pregnant and an alcoholic, is assigned to be his military counsellor. The two must face their poisonous histories and unresolved guilt as border tensions rise; at the end, it all comes down to a high-stakes sacrifice, where Shankar's "burning" fury is eventually turned into a valiant act of national defence.

Gustaakh Ishq – January 23 (JioHotstar [OTTplay Premium])

Lyrical drama Gustaakh Ishq examines the tension between artistic integrity and commercial survival against the nostalgic 1998 backdrop of Old Delhi's small streets and the peaceful town of Malerkotla. Aspiring poet Nawabuddin (Vijay Varma) tries to save his late father's failing Urdu printing press from complete collapse in this gripping narrative. He visits the legendary poet Aziz Baig, played by Naseeruddin Shah, who has been in self-imposed exile for decades, in his quest to arrive at a solution. Nawabuddin disguises himself as a student of shayari to rescue his business, but he is actually hatching a conspiracy to publish the poet's unpublished works. But things get tricky for him when he develops strong feelings for Minni (Fatima Sana Shaikh), Aziz's tenacious daughter. In the end, the film becomes a "visual ghazal" in which Nawabuddin has to decide whether to respect his mentor's trust or do what's right by his family's legacy.

Dhurandhar – January 30 (Netflix)

Using a long-term intelligence operation as a prism, the sprawling two-part spy thriller Dhurandhar examines the grim reality of cross-border counter-terrorism. The film depicts Jaskirat Singh Rangi, played by Ranveer Singh, an Indian death row convict who is enlisted for a daring covert mission by the stoic head of the Intelligence Bureau, Ajay Sanyal, played by R. Madhavan. Jaskirat, now going by the name "Hamza Ali Mazari", delves headfirst into the dangerous underbelly of Karachi's Lyari district, navigating gang battles, political corruption, and terrorist syndicates supported by the ISI. Hamza must decide between his safety and his allegiance to India as he rises through the ranks of a formidable Baloch gang headed by the unnervingly composed Rehman Dakait (Akshaye Khanna). He observes the meticulous planning that went into events like the 26/11 strikes. Known for its intense realism, the film culminates in a terrifying act of treachery that prepares the audience for the story's climax, in which Hamza becomes a powerful figure inside the very system he seeks to undermine.

FAQs:

Q: Is the movie Haq based on a true story?

A: Yes, Haq is inspired by the landmark Shah Bano case of 1985. It explores the legal battle of a woman seeking maintenance after a triple talaq divorce, a case that eventually led to a nationwide debate on the Uniform Civil Code and personal laws in India.

Q: What is the plot of Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar?

A: Dhurandhar is a spy thriller where Ranveer Singh plays Jaskirat Singh Rangi, a death row convict recruited by the IB (played by R. Madhavan) for a deep-cover mission. He infiltrates the criminal underworld of Karachi to dismantle terror networks from within.

Q: What can we expect from Freedom at Midnight Season 2?

A: Following the success of Season 1, the new chapters delve into the immediate aftermath of Partition. It focuses on the refugee crisis, the frantic political negotiations between Nehru, Patel, and Jinnah, and the human tragedy of the border divisions in Punjab and Bengal.

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