OTTplay Bingelist with RJ Stutee: What to Watch in October Week 1

So what’s new in the OTT world this week? As usual, enough to binge on and then some more. While No time to Die which is Daniel Craig’s final film as Bond has been released in the theatres, another film which was released last month is now on Amazon Prime Video. Chehre starring Emran Hashmi, Amitabh Bachchan, Annu Kapoor, Raghubir Yadav and Rhea Chakraborty might have great acting talent to boast about but it’s overall a pretty disappointing affair.

 Here are my picks for you this week:

The latest development is that Jamie Spears, Britney’s father has been suspended from Britney Spears’ conservatorship following a drawn-out legal battle that has persisted since the pop star was placed under the court-ordered arrangement in 2008. However to understand why something that started as a temporary control over her life, money and business became permanent find time to watch this new documentary streaming on Netflix. “I want my life back... it has been 13 years and it's enough,” says Britney. Dizzying heights in her professional life whereby 2004 she was one of the biggest selling female artists of her generation to being reduced to someone who doesn’t even have basic human rights, this documentary shows us the downward spiral the pop icon’s life took and is unforgiving in its assessment of those who crippled Britney’s freedom. Journalist Jenny Eliscue and filmmaker Erin Lee Carr investigate Britney Spears’ fight for freedom by way of exclusive interviews and confidential information.

Starring Sunny Kaushal, Radhika Madan, Mohit Raina and Diana Penty, Shiddat is about the extent one would go for true love. Kartika (Radhika Madan) is a swimmer and Jaggi (Sunny Kaushal) plays hockey. Both meet at a sports camp and sparks fly. While one is a die-hard romantic the other has a more clinical approach to life. There is a parallel track of Mohit Raina and Diana Penty as a much in love couple. From attraction to unflinching commitment and grand love Shiddat tries to examine the limits one is ready to cross for a happily ever after. You can watch it on Disney+ Hotstar.

Tennis legends Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi’s contribution to the game and the recognition they brought to the country is something we all know and acknowledge. Two gifted players in perfect harmony winning laurels for the country. So it's not surprising that their eventual “divorce” and parting of ways still stings. ZEE5’s seven-part docu-series directed by Nitesh Tiwari and Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, explores the relationship between Indian tennis stars Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi. The series tells how we became champions, why did the break-up happen, the crests and troughs of their partnership on and off-field. A very intimate and engaging series worth investing your time in.

Screened at the Toronto International Film Festival this psychological thriller by Antoine Fuqua is a remake of the Danish film by the same name. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Joe who works as a 911 operator. He receives a distress call from a woman during a particularly challenging night in LA. The other characters are heard than seen as details bleed out through a series of phone calls. It’s a pandemic film the action unfolds in a singular location and we rarely get glimpses out of it but this heightens the tension and keeps us at the edge of our seats. A stand out performance by Gyllenhaal means you can't miss it.

National award-winning director Bhaskar Hazarika award-winning film is now on SonyLiv from Oct 1, 2021. Aamis means “non-veg.” On the surface, it looks like a harmless love story between a paediatrician (Lima Das) and a young PhD student (Arghadeep Baruah) who is researching the food patterns of the people from the North East. Slowly the narrative enters a darker more twisted territory and it is nothing like what we have seen so far. A theme that is haunting and explores primal passions delicately and expertly. Make time for it.