We recommend: The best new movies and TV series
Editor’s note: Watch ’em pros Neena Gupta and Sanjay Mishra headline a foggy crime thriller wrapping a moonlit romance in Vadh 2. British royal family geeks will get to see a different side of King Charles in a Prime Video documentary. Do not miss the Netflix docu on iconic chess player Judit Polgár. Plus, Kapil Sharma confused between four women, and a passionate Tamil political drama, also streaming.
New releases
Vadh 2 (Hindi)
Long-term inmate, charged with murder, is Neena Gupta. Across the wall is her 2 a.m. platonic lover, a prison guard facing retirement (Sanjay Mishra). Surrounding their intimacy is a tight, grim crime thriller. When a brutish prisoner goes missing, a chain reaction of interrogations and revelations slowly brings the red-hot truth to light.
Scroll's Nandini Ramnath appreciated the pacing: "Vadh 2 initially watches with leisure the tracing of character arcs, the low-level corruption rackets, the breadcrumb trail laying that makes sense only later."
The Hollywood Reporter India's Rahul Desai picked the devil in the details.
The duality of the title (Vadh, meaning ‘execution’) comes into play. It's not death that it refers to. The film executes — and engineers — a future only for those who deserve one. In the words of an iconic movie inmate: hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.
Where to watch: Theatres
Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision (English)
Kate Winslet, the narrator, tells the story of now-King Charles who, in his earlier life as a young Prince, felt passionately about the environment and became a green crusader of sorts. The mockery he faced in the ’80s for “going organic”, the scepticism with which his cause was treated. It documents the important work in sustainability that his charity, the King’s Foundation, does.
The reviews are mixed, pointing to the uncritical nature of the docu against the underlying message. Wrote The Independent: “The important message at the heart of this film is just about enough to keep the hagiographic tendencies if not at bay, at least subdued.”
Where to watch: Prime Video
Queen of Chess (English)
In 1991, Hungarian chess whiz Judit Polgár became the youngest player to become a chess Grandmaster. She was 15. Today, she’s regarded as the greatest female chess player of all time (having retired in 2014), and remains the only woman to ever make the world top 10. Queen of Chess, a new Netflix documentary directed by Rory Kennedy, traces her journey from the prodigious early years to her rise to the very top of an unforgiving and troublingly sexist world. As Collider wrote:
Queen of Chess will likely infuriate you at times, specifically when depicting the sexism that Polgár dealt with. Some quotes are so misogynistic that it’s shocking, with numerous well-respected chess champions outright saying that women are intellectually inferior. While these moments are sure to make your blood boil, they show just how impressive Polgár’s achievements are — and make watching her prove everyone wrong that much sweeter.
Where to watch: Netflix
Fresh off the big screen
Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon 2 (Hindi)
A Hindu man wants to marry his Muslim lover. Since this is a rambunctious Hindi comedy, also unusually secular-minded, the process to reach his goal involves wedding mix-ups with another Muslim woman, a new Hindu woman, and also a Christian woman, as a treat. Headlined by the people's comedian, Kapil Sharma.
Where to watch: JioHotstar
The Raja Saab (Telugu)
A strange fantasy-horror-comedy starring Prabhas in the lead role. Plot details not required for a movie featuring the Baahubali star, whose opening-day box-office reportedly begin at or around 400 crores. A critical and box-office dud, highly recommended to hate-watching masochists.
Where to watch: JioHotstar
Parasakthi (Tamil)
Sudha Kongara is the rare woman director who’s gotten her hands dirty with muscular films about devil-may-care men. Her filmography includes Irudhi Suttru/Saala Khadoos and Soorarai Pottru, later remade in Hindi with Akshay Kumar.
Kongara’s new film is a story about brothers, about political agitation (anti-Hindi imposition politics in Tamil Nadu), and what this life is really about.
Where to watch: Zee5
One More Chapter
The Lincoln Lawyer S04 (English)
Mickey Haller practices law from the backseat of his Lincoln. Sometimes, a single-line image is all it takes to kickstart a neverending franchise. Crime-lit maestro Michael Connelly's Haller has previously been played by Matthew McConaughey for the big screen. (Quickie for geeks: Connelly also created the Harry Bosch novels).
The ongoing series stars Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Haller. The latest season begins with Haller framed for murder. Boohoo? Think again.
Where to watch: Netflix
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