We recommend: The best new movies and TV series

Editor’s note: Too many releases, too little time. Manoj Bajpayee gives a towering performance in Last Man In Tower, Nikhil Advani’s new series The Revolutionaries is ambitious but dry. The second season of The Paper is back with all the feels. Arshad Warsi stars as a bandit king. 

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New Releases

Last Man In Tower (Hindi)

The White Tiger (2021) was proof that Aravind Adiga’s novels lend themselves well to adaptations. Ben Rekhi’s film, based on Adiga’s 2011 novel Last Man in Tower, has at its centre a Mumbai resident (played by Manoj Bajpayee) who pushes back against redevelopment of his colony. This angst itself makes it an intrinsic Mumbai film. But the outing also infuses political subtext to the premise as one group of people is pitted against another. 

Bajpayee is an excellent actor and his towering turn lends this film, already a sobering portrait of urbanity, with tangible pathos. “The familiarity of Bajpayee’s performance speaks to the anonymity of dissenters like him — ordinary people who are persecuted for standing firm amidst the conformities of everyday living,” raves The Hollywood Reporter. 

Where to watch: Theatres

Haiwaan (Hindi)

Priyadarshan and Akshay Kumar are a match made in heaven. But their latest collaboration is proof that even the best partnerships hit a dry patch. Starring Kumar and Saif Ali Khan, the filmmaker’s latest revolves around a serial killer and a blind caretaker; their cat-and-mouse game contributes to the thrill. However, the execution is all scattered, diluting the joy of watching both Khan and Kumar, also old collaborators, together. Having said that, nostalgia is a powerful emotion and can be the guiding force here for anyone who wants to relive their past glories.

 Where to watch: Theatres 

The Revolutionaries (Hindi)

The story of armed resistance and the role of the revolutionaries during colonial occupation is often overlooked in favour of the nonviolence movement when talking about India’s fight against the British. In Revolutionaries : The Other Story of How India Won Its Freedom, Sanjeev Sanyal digs deeper into the work of what we usually consider individual acts of heroism, and sets it against a network of revolutionary movements and organisation in the country.

This series by Nikkhil Advani, based on the book by Sanyal, highlights the story of those who participated in these armed movements and networks that believed in rising up against the colonial forces. Starring comedian-actor Bhuvan Bam as Rash Behari Bose, Rohit Saraf as Sachindra Nath Sanyal, Pratibha Ranta as Pratibha Lahiri, alongside others, the period drama follows these young revolutionaries as they reject the peaceful methods of protests and join arms against their oppressors.

Where to watch: Prime Video

Ghamasaan (Hindi)

Arshad Warsi plays Maharaj, Bundelkhand’s Bandit King, in this new film, directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia. Maharaj has a tight hold over his dacoits, but also over the political landscape of the region, instilling fear in all those around him. Although Maharaj is seemingly hard to get a hold of, things change when the police manage to grab one of his gang members, who reveals to them his whereabouts. What ensues is a political chase between the police, particularly Aditya (played by Pratik Gandhi), an IPS officer, and Maharaj and his gang.

Madhya Pradesh’s terrains serve as an apt backdrop to this story as the politics intersect with the rustic and gritty landscape of Bundelkhand. While reviews say the storytelling could use more flavour, the acting stands out as exceptional. Sreeparna Sengupta writes in ETimes,

That said, Arshad Warsi pulls off a solid, menacing act as Maharaj and Pratik Gandhi is sincere as the earnest IPS officer. Jatin Goswami also stands out as Maharaj's close aide and Rajpal Yadav leaves his mark with his limited screen time.

Where to watch: Zee5

Chumbak (Hindi)

The endearing Deven Bhojani stars in this new sitcom alongside Neena Gupta (as Kuku and Rajni Merchant), set in and about a colony called Chumbak—a series of packed row houses in a Mumbai suburb where the lives of five couples and their families are, thanks to a lack of space, eternally interconnected. And everyone’s always up in each other’s business. It’s a classic desi style sitcom, led by writer-director duo Aatish Kapadia and JD Majethia (Sarabhai vs Sarabhai), eschewing much of the dramedy-infused finesse of contemporary shows and, instead, going loud and broad in search of the big laughs. “‘Chumbak’ at no point aims to reinvent the neighbourhood comedy genre, nor does it try to,” writes Money Control. “What it offers instead is a well-rounded cast and a warmly written show that completely trusts its actors and its setting more than any twist or gimmick.” 

Where to watch: Netflix 

Call My Agent! The Movie (French)

Call My Agent!, the pleasant French comedy series about talent agents dealing with their difficult/eccentric/obnoxious clients (French actors playing fictional versions of themselves) at talent agency ASK, became a rage during the pandemic. So much so, in fact, that it even spawned an Indian version, called Call My Agent: Bollywood. Now, well after the series’ successful four-season run, we have a movie, called Dix Pour Cent or Call My Agent!, featuring the OG cast as well as some big hitters playing themselves (including George Clooney, Laetitia Casta, and Eva Longoria). It’s set five years after the closing of ASK, the talent agency at the heart of the show, and follows the journey of the many agents and actors who were associated with it. The New York Times has enjoyed the film, calling it “a sincere story, a billet-doux to the people who love cinema enough to make it their lives.” 

Where to watch: Netflix 

Ali Baba aur 40 Bhoot (Hindi)

A woman heads back to her hometown, Jhulia, in search of her missing father. The two were estranged, but before his disappearance, he—an archaeologist—had sent her some strange occultish message about an ancient relic or some such. Asha Negi stars in this horror comedy as Alisha Nigam (or Ali), the neuropsychologist daughter of Tapish Nigam (Ujjwal Chopra). Back in Jhulia, she encounters Baba (Vishal Vashishtha), a policeman who’s secretly had a thing for Ali since forever; he’s also deeply superstitious. No wonder though, since the town is most likely haunted by the titular 40 bhoots, with Ali and Baba taking care of the rest of the (on-the-nose) series title. 

The premise has potential, as per an early review by The Times of India, but the series has an irregular rhythm, heading off on too many detours. Vashishtha, though, has been praised for his performance. “As Baba, he brings an appealing mixture of bumbling incompetence and genuine affection. His character's failed attempts at being a police officer, coupled with his secret ambition to become an actor and his willingness to bend the rules for Ali, give the show some of its most amusing moments.”

Where to watch: JioHotstar

Prince of Mollywood (Malayalam)

This comedy drama is about a man called Firoz. He wants to become an actor but his father, affluent and influential, wants him to run the family business. Their clash leads to a whirlwind of chaos and confusion. Directed by Shani Khader, the series explores dreams and ambitions, and what makes us fight for what we really want to do, driving the point home through humour. 

Where to watch: JioHotstar

Last Seen (English)

Ian is a former cop who’s managed to kick his drinking habit. He’s separated from his wife. His daughter, Maggie, disappeared 11 years ago. One day, Ian receives a mysterious phone call and everything changes. Could Maggie still be alive? The premise of this new Aussie thriller series, shot and set in Victoria, is gripping, and it’s propelled forward by excellent performances by Patrick Brammall (Ian) as well as Maxine Peake, who plays Jenna, wife of Ian’s friend’s brother. The critics can’t stop raving:

…it’s the people and plots in Last Seen that will stick in your head. It doesn’t just pile on the twists; it makes the twists really matter, because we always understand, with painful clarity, the emotional consequences for the people experiencing them. This is riveting television, and one of the standout shows of the year.

Where to watch: AppleTV

Fresh off the big screen

Main Actor Nahin Hoon (Hindi)

Aditya Kripalani’s new movie starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Chitrangada Satarupa follows Adnan (Siddiqui), a retired banker based in Germany, and Mouni (Satarupa), a struggling actor trying to make it in Mumbai. The two connect during the audition process for an international project. He accepts her as his mentor during the shooting of the film, learning from her. Over the course of these video call sessions, they develop a friendship, sharing their fears, insecurities, and emotional moments.

Breaking down the role of the internet in building actors’ careers today, Kripalani even used Instagram as a space to promote this film, while offering insights into the world of filmmaking, acting, and directing. The movie mirrors Kripalani’s own experience as a figure on the internet, one who many young and upcoming film professionals turn to for advice online. Harsh Tiwari in ThePrint writes,

The film itself mirrors the internet-driven world of today. Much of the narrative unfolds through video calls, redefining how acting can be learned in the age of the internet. This makes the film feel deeply contemporary and portrays how artists connect, collaborate, and survive in today’s online creative culture.

Where to watch: Prime Video

One more chapter

The Paper Season 2 (English)

Unlike the newspaper that’s at the heart of this series, the warm, fuzzy American workplace comedy will never die. The Paper, in fact, has the added nepotism-infused privilege of being a spinoff of the incredibly successful (and persistent) American version of The Office. That one had a dying paper company in a digital world at its centre; here, we get a newspaper in a newsless world. The second season is in, and it again tracks the wacky adventures of the team of journalists and other assorted admin and staff at the Toledo Truth Teller, a middling newspaper part of an industry in terminal decline. 

Per reviews, the new season does an excellent job at balancing the warmth and low-stakes comedy that viewers need from such shows. Alongside a classic will-they-won’t-they. The true star here, though, is Sabrina Impacciatore (who plays Esmeralda Grand), a breakout star from The White Lotus series. Writes The Guardian: 

But, really, the show belongs to Esmeralda Grand, played impeccably by Sabrina Impacciatore. Esmeralda feels like she’s been beamed in from another show entirely. While everything else about The Paper feels like a naturalistic workplace comedy, Impacciatore’s Esmerelda is big and broad and loud. She’s a whirlwind of pratfalls and gesticulations and wildly overcooked reaction shots.

Where to watch: JioHotstar