OTTplay Bingelist with RJ Stutee: What to Watch in February Week 4

With the Oscars round the corner, this week I tell you some of the nominated films you can watch on OTT and of course the latest Indian releases.  

THE FAME GAME – Delving deep into the flip side of Fame is the new show on Netflix. Created by Sri Rao and Directed by Bijoy Nambiar and Karishma Kohlithe biggest lure is to see Madhuri Dixit. A radiant Madhuri plays superstar Anamika Anand who goes missing from an award function mysteriously. As we and the investigating team on screen try to piece together the puzzle one gets a raw and realistic understanding of what it takes to live under the spotlight. Sanjay Kapoor plays Madhuri’s on-screen husband and as details slowly bleed out the more engaging the show becomes. Apart from the superstar actress who plays her part with deceptive ease, Manav Kaul, Suhasini Mulay, Rajshree Deshpande, Lakshvir Saran and Muskkaan Jaaferi are top-notch.  

LOVE HOSTEL – Streaming on Zee5 is a brilliant new film Love Hostel. Shanker Raman who previously directed Gurgaon manages to up his game further with his sophomore film. Vikrant Massey and Sanya Malhotra play an interfaith couple trying to get their families to agree to their alliance. What they are up against is a mindset that continues to look at falling in love a crime and a remorseless hitman Dagar played brilliantly by Bobby Deol. With a runtime of just 1 hour 30 mins, Love Hostel is a layered and profound look at a society rendered hollow by hate. 

DON’T LOOK UP - Don’t Look Up counts four Oscar nominations including Best Picture and you can watch it on Netflix. Two low-level astronomers must go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that could destroy planet Earth. This Netflix original movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Rob Morgan, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Cate Blanchette, Mark Rylance among others. It’s a scathing satire of the US and its handling of a global crisis. Dicaprio and Lawrence are the ones who discover this disturbing detail and then go around doing what they can to let people know. We see how political greed, fake news, and personal agendas help create a smokescreen that doesn’t let the average public understand the enormity of the situation.  

THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE – Jessica Chastain is nominated in the Best Actress category for Eyes of Tommy Faye. You can watch it on Disney+Hotstar. In the 1970’s and 80’s Tammy Faye and her husband, Jim Baker rose from humble beginnings to create the world’s largest religious broadcasting network and they were revered for their message of love, acceptance and prosperity. Tammy Faye was legendary for her indelible eyelashes, her idiosyncratic singing and her eagerness to embrace people from all walks of life. However it wasn’t long before financial improprieties, scheming rivals and scandal toppled their carefully constructed empire. Jessica Chastain completely disappears into her role letting the real-life character be the only persona we see. Andrew Garfield stars as Jim Baker and he also nails his performance.  

TICK TICK BOOM – it is based on the stage musical of the same name by Jonathan Larson, a semi-autobiographical story about Larson's writing a musical to enter the industry. On the cusp of his 30th birthday, a promising young theatre composer names Jonathan Larsen navigates love, friendship and pre4ssures of life as an artist in NYC. Andrew Garfield stars as Larsen and is wonderful showcasing a frustrated but hopeful playwright. No wonder he has won an Oscar nomination for his performance. Watch it on Netflix.