PremiumBest of 2023: 10 films and web series that you absolutely must watch on Sony LIV
From real life stories - both inspiring and tragic - to fantasy, dark comedy and more, Sony LIV has a good selection of movies and shows across genres with great casts and stellar performances too.
Last Updated: 10.06 AM, Dec 13, 2023
The year is almost drawing to a close, and looking back, one realizes that 2023 had its fair share of extraordinary content on streaming platforms. Sony LIV, for instance, has been at the forefront of presenting brilliant pieces of story-telling, not only across languages, but across formats as well. Here is OTTplay's selection of the 10 best - films and series - streaming on the platform that everyne ought to see.
2018: Everyone’s A Hero
Language: Malayalam
Jude Anthany’s 2018: Everyone’s A Hero is the filmmaker’s reimagination of the devastating floods of 2018 that all but crippled Kerala and how the people of the state, with some help from neighbours across borders remained resilient in the face of such adversity and let humanity shine brightly. The film, which boasts a massive ensemble cast, including Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Lal, Narain, Asif Ali, Aju Varghese, Aparna Balamurali, among others, is India’s official entry to the Oscar Awards.
Scam 2003 – The Telgi Story
Language: Hindi
This 10-episode show based on the book Telgi Scam: Reporter’s Ki Diary, explores the real-life story of Abdul Karim Telgi, who was involved in the infamours stamp paper counterfeiting scandal worth of Rs 30,000 crores in 2003. The show, developed by Hansal Mehta and directed by Tushar Hiranandani, stars Gagan Dev Riar, Hemang Vyas, Mukesh Tiwari, Talat Aziz, among many others.
Por Thozil
Language: Tamil
The directorial debut of Vignesh Rajan, Por Thozhil follows a bright but faint-hearted rookie cop, as he tries to overcome his fears in order to succeed in his first case, the hunt for a serial killer on the loose, for which he is partnered with a reclusive senior officer. Ashok Selvan and R Sarath Kumar play the two cops, with the cast also including Nikhila Vimal, Sarath Babu, Nizhalgal Ravi, among others.
Martin Luther King
Language: Telugu
A political satire by debutant director Puja Kolluru, Martin Luther King is the Telugu remake of the Tamil film Mandela. The film follows a hitherto unknown man’s claim to fame, when he literally becomes king-maker in determining the result of a local body election., when the contestants are tied and his vote will make the difference. Who will he cast his franchise for? The film stars Sampoornesh Babu, Naresh, Sharanya, Venkatesh Maha, among others.
Kadina Kadoramee Andakadaham
Language: Malayalam
Set during the pandemic and its related restrictions, Kadina Kadoramee Andakadaham has actor-filmmaker Basil Joseph in the lead as youngster Basheeruddin, who, despite his best efforts, is unable to catch a lucky break with any of his entrepreneurial attempts. And then, when the Covid-19 pandemic strikes, it’s all downhill for him. Can he revive his business and stand on his own feet?
Rocket Boys – Season 2
Language: Hindi
Set during the early years of independence, Rocket Boys Season 2 follows the extraordinary lives and times of Dr Homi J. Bhabha, Dr Vikram Sarabhai, and Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, as they navigate obstacles in their quest to make the country a nuclear power. Starring Jim Sarbh, Ishwak Singh, Regina Cassandra, Saba Azad, Rajit Kapur, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, among others, the season has 16 episodes.
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Language: English
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s fantasy film follows Evelyn Wang, a Chinese immigrant in America, whose life is turned upside down when an alternate version of her husband from another universe reveals that she is the only one who can save the multiverse from the mysterious Jobu Tupaki. The film got 11 Oscar nominations, of which it bagged 7, including, Michelle Yeoh for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor for Ke Huy Quan, Best Supporting Actress for Jamie Lee Curtis, as well as for Original Screenplay and Film Editing. The Icing on the cake, of course, was that Everything Everywhere All At Once also won Best Picture.
The Whale
Language: English
Brendan Fraser won an Oscar for Best Actor for playing a morbidly obese English teacher, who is struggling with his condition, but makes no effort to remedy it. Instead, he is on self-destruct mode, piling on the pounds, while also trying to make amends with his daughter, Ellie, whom he has not seen in many years.
The Jengaburu Case
Languge: Hindi
The Jengaburu Curse is a 7-episode climate fiction thriller show that explores man’s exploitation of natural resources to meet our never-ending needs, which, in turn, results in harmful consequences. The show’s ensemble cast includes Faria Abdullah, Sudev Nair, M Nassar, Makrand Deshpande, Deepak Sampat, among many others.
Purusha Pretham
Language: Malayalam
Shortly after a severely decomposed and unidentified corpse is buried in a swamp routinely used by the police for such purpose, a woman claims that it is her husband and insists that the mortal remains be handed over to her. Problem is, no one seems to know for sure where the body was buried. Starring Darshana Rajendran, Alexander Prashant and Jagadeesh, among others.