We recommend: The best new movies and TV series
New releases
Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan is the creator and director of this lavish, self-referential comedy series that draws from recent Bollywood mythos, including brain-breaking over nepotism and the prodigal son’s brush with the law in 2021 over alleged drug possession. A star-studded, cheeky affair, as expected from SRK and his cub; the dad himself has a time-worn reputation of poking fun at his stardom.
Nandini Ramnath of Scroll called the seven-episoder a “scattershot satire” with “its fair share of comic moments and sparkling cameos”, which includes Emraan Hashmi as an intimacy coach. Naughty…
Where to watch: Netflix
An Anurag Kashyap directorial in theatres after ages. Gangster film from the hinterland, as AK does best. Aaishvary Thackeray, grandson of Shiv Sena founder, the late Balasaheb Thackeray, debuts as the lead. He plays twins, Babloo and Dabloo, who start off as amateur bank robbers before a local strongman (Kumud Mishra) employs them. Tensions spiral. They are bad in deed but are they bad at heart? Vedika Pinto stars as the baby gangsters' moll.
Where to watch: Theatres
Akshay Kumar and Arshad Warsi lock horns as rival lawyers while the exasperated judge (Saurabh Shukla) drops wry punchlines. The third installment of the legal comedy franchise has Warsi and Kumar reprise their roles as Jolly 1 and 2 respectively. The issue: land grab by a businessman (Gajraj Rao) while a widow (Seema Biswas) protests. Expect laughs plus social science lessons.
Where to watch: Theatres
One of those True Detective things where two marquee 50+ male stars pair up for a gritty crime series. Jude Law and Jason Bateman play brothers. Jake (Law) owns a happening NYC restaurant. Vince (Bateman) shows up at his door owing money to bad guys. Now Vince's problem is Jake's, and he's losing it. Co-created by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Zach Baylin (Creed III, The Order), the miniseries promises nerve-racking thrills if we are to trust the kinetically paced trailer.
Where to watch: Netflix
Rebel Royals: An Unlikely Love Story
A princess from the Norwegian royal family fell in love with and married a self-proclaimed American shaman whose claims include: he is a “reptilian”, people get cancer because they want it, and he knew of 9/11 two years before the incident. Hollywood star Gwyneth Paltrow once called him a “soul brother”. He calls himself a “soul sexual”. Countless Norwegians feel he is a con man who has married his way into the royal family. Netflix felt they are money.
So there you have it: a 95-minute documentary on princess Martha Louise and pro-weirdo Durek Verrett, from the makers of the insanely viral docuseries Tiger King (2020-2021) which tracked the exploits of another nutjob, Joe Exotic.
We recommend this purely on the basis of its bizarre subject matter, although The Guardian felt the documentary was too celebratory: “...as with many Netflix documentaries de nos jours, a film that feels, if not one-sided, then not exactly brimming with editorial independence.”
Where to watch: Netflix
Rohan Parashuram Kanawade’s directorial debut, Cactus Pears (or Sabar Bonda in Marathi), premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Starring Bhushaan Manoj and Suraaj Suman, the film follows Anand (Manoj) as he returns to his hometown after a death in the family, and reunites with his childhood friend (Suman). Sabar Bonda highlights the complexities of navigating grief, love, and identity while being queer in rural India.
Where to watch: Theatres
From the makers of Money Heist! Álex Pina, that show's creator, teams up with Esther Martínez Lobato, creator of the spin-off Berlin, for what Netflix is hoping will be another Spanish blockbuster series. This one follows billionaires hiding in a massive luxury bunker with a nuclear war looming on the horizon. Rivalries, suspicions, mounting tensions, you know the drill.
Where to watch: Netflix
Fresh off the big screen…
Michael B Jordan, not known to take things personally, has a double role in this horror film from earlier this year that places blues music at the centre of its supernatural shenanigans. The criminal Moore twins—Elijah and Elias (Jordan)—return to Mississippi in 1932 and start a juke joint for the local Black community. They recruit, among others, a blues artist whose otherworldly music ends up summoning spirits from both the past and the future.
The film grossed 3,234 crores at the global box office and has now made its way to streaming; the reviews were mixed, with The Guardian wishing it could have done away with the supernatural element, but praising its “energy and comic-book brashness”.
Where to watch: JioHotstar
This Tamil fantasy horror-comedy film directed by T Rajavel, now streaming on Zee5, is about two newlyweds who move into a flat where strange things are afoot. They might, it appears, be sharing the space with some unwelcome housemates.
The reviews, while not quite gushy, do make it a point to praise the film’s intention and scope. The Times Of India calls the concept familiar but “entertaining enough”, while The Hindu appreciates the film’s honesty and sincerity.
Where to watch: Zee5
Last year’s The Surfer, starring Nicholas Cage, follows a man who returns to the Australian beach he grew up surfing at. He wants to return to those familiar waves with his son. But a group of local bullies make his life hell, leading to a series of cascading incidents.
This one is probably best appreciated by true Cageheads: The Guardian calls it a “gloriously demented B-movie thriller”, while the website rogerebert.com deems this to be “a strange and not entirely successful cinematic freak-out that has its moments”.
Where to watch: Lionsgate Play
Director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland, the winsome duo behind the groundbreaking 2002 zombie thriller 28 Days Later, team up for the third installment.
Close to three decades after the Rage virus outbreak, all of England is still swarming the gnarliest, most disgusting zombies. A young boy has to avoid the living dead with his ailing mother and reach a mythical doctor (played by Ralph Fiennes) who can possibly cure her. Anthony Dod Mantle's edgy cinematography, Jon Harris' cutthroat editing, and the experimental soundtrack from the band Young Fathers make this a livewire experience.
Where to watch: Netflix
Au revoir, Bob!
Robert Redford (1936-2025) passed away in his sleep this past week at his home in Sundance Resort in the US state of Utah. The accomplished American actor, filmmaker, and activist broke away from the paternal masculinity of John Wayne, the rugged machismo of contemporaries Steve McQueen and Paul Newman, and the unattainable beauty of Alain Delon, and stood out as a gentle Shashi Kapoor-like soul, as committed to his craft as he was to serving looks.
And much like the only Kapoor who seemed grounded and sincere, Redford used his stardom to back a series of independent-minded, progressive films which were an extension of his personal politics. Besides being a nurturer of independent cinema through the Sundance Institute and its flagship festival of the same name (inspired by his character from the 1969 superhit Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid), Redford was pro-active in backing clean energy, climate change awareness, and Native American rights.
Splainer recommends seven must-watch Redford films that exemplify his talent, spirit and values on screen and off it. Some of his best work isn't available online in India, such as his superb 1994 directorial Quiz Show and the 2013 survival thriller All is Lost that only features him. Surely that shouldn't stop enthusiastic cinephiles and Redford fans?
Before his star-making turn as Sundance in ’69, Redford charmed his way into Hollywood with this lovely romantic comedy. Redford and Jane Fonda play New York newlyweds battling their own mismatched temperaments and quirky neighbors.
Where to watch: Available for rent on Amazon Prime Video
The lesser-known but more complex work from Redford in 1969 was Downhill Racer where Redford played an aloof, ambitious, and arrogant skier who is part of the US Olympic team. Pulitzer-winning film critic Roger Ebert declared in his 4/4 review that it is "the best movie ever made about sports—without really being about sports at all", adding, "In the end, Downhill Racer succeeds so well that instead of wondering whether the hero will win the Olympic race, we want to see what will happen to him if he does."
Where to watch: Available for rent on Amazon Prime Video
A brutal evisceration of the American electoral process that still holds up today, giving insight into how TV-friendly politicians from both sides of the political aisle, be it Donald Trump or Barack Obama, rise to the top by dancing with the devil i.e. the American establishment. Directed, once again, by Downhill Racer's Michael Ritchie.
All the President’s Men (1976)
In a purportedly post-truth world, where journalism is for sale to the highest corporate bidder, Alan J Pakula's brooding and clinical look at the Washington Post's investigation into then-US president Richard Nixon's 1972 Watergate scandal (Republicans at his behest spying on the Democrats’ headquarters; Nixon had to resign in ‘74) is a must-watch for not just thriller fans but viewers curious to understand how journalism actually works—and how it can be a force for public good.
Where to watch: Available for rent on Amazon Prime Video
Robert Redford's directorial debut is a thoughtful, sensitive, and sharply paced family drama exploring a suburban family unravelling after the death of one son and another's suicide attempt. A critical and commercial success, the film won four Oscars, including Best Director.
Where to watch: Available for rent on Amazon Prime Video
The Milagro Beanfield War (1988)
Redford's second outing as a director is his most ambitious and weird attempt as a filmmaker. Political satire and magic realism merge in a film about land rights, cultural survival, and community resistance. The film flopped, reviews were mixed, and Redford's future directorials became stylistically and thematically conservative. For audacity alone, this makes the list.
Where to watch: Available for rent on Amazon Prime Video
Redford's final acting role encapsulates all that made him so endearing and irresistible. He plays an aging but charismatic bank robber who escapes prison and resumes his business. Kelechi Ehenulo of Confessions From A Geek Mind wrote, "Somehow you don't think this will be the end for Robert Redford. That's not the lasting impression that [director David] Lowery leaves. But if he does keep to his promise, then his swan song ends on a high note."
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Lionsgate Play
Here’s a new chapter…
This Hindi adaptation of popular American legal drama The Good Wife returns for its second season, with Kajol returning as the lead, navigating life as a lawyer returning to her profession after a lengthy gap.
Where to watch: JioHotstar
Gen V is about the younger lot of aspiring superheroes eager to join the Seven, the elite superhero group starring Homelander that we’ve grown to love and loathe on The Boys, the much loved anti-(super)hero satire. Now in its second season, the ambitious and young Marie Moreau (played by Jaz Sinclair) hopes to make it big.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
The broadcast news-based drama starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon comes back for its fourth season this week, as our stars navigate the ever evolving media landscape.
Where to watch: Apple TV+
souk picks