5 OTT Releases In September Worth Watching

1.     Mumbai Diaries(Amazon  Prime): Gripping from the Word Go. Amazon Prime’s new serial Mumbai Diaries  chronicles the  events  on  night of 26/11 when Mumbai was paralyzed  by a terror attack. Because  of  the Covid  pandemic  we who are on the safe  side of the battle line, have grown aware  of   how  tough it is for  the front-runners,  the civil warriors  who fight during a crisis often at  the risk of  losing their lives.In Mumbai Diaries it is the medical  professional on high alert  on the night  of 26/11. Mumbai  Diaries looks like  a rigorously researched  series with its head  on its shoulders and its feet firmly planted  to the ground reality. I am willing to  stick my neck out to say this  will be  another  outright winner  for  Amazon    after the triumph   of that biopic on that other true hero Shershaah.Streaming on September  9.

2.     Annabelle Sethupathi(Disney  Plus  Hotstar):  The ever-enterprising Taapsee Pannu whom  we last saw  blowing the lid of  smalltown  morality in Haseen Dillruba is  back on OTT. This time in  Tamil,she is  in the inspired company of the astonishing Vijay Sethupathi   . Taapsee is very excited as she  is featured in a  double role for the first time. So are we. Streaming from September 17

3.     Bhoot Police(Disney plus Hotstar): I sat through  the  trailer  twice  hoping to  come away with at  least one  giggle or one titter  .Nothing!  Saif Ali Khan who is normally funny when he  doesn’t try too hard, is seen straining  for laughter. What’s with that accent, dude? Is it meant to be Bihari?  Or something more outlandish? That swaggering I-am-too-cool-to-be-anyone’s-fool rusticity   compounded with Arjun Kapoor as a  companion in his  creepiness makes Bhoot Police look like  a distant cousin of Stree. The trailer exudes  a leery  lasciviousness  . The way Saif looks at  and talks to  Yami Gautam  and  Jacqueline Fernandez is  creepy, and not in  scary but a disturbing way.  The trailer shows scant respect  for  men or women. The trailer is  a  snarling  insult to good taste  , best  served  hot and  only for  those who think tantriks  are  a funny breed. Streaming from 17 September.

4.     Cinderella(Amazon Prime):  Cinderella  with a  twist and a twirl.!  This  time, she doesn’t  want a Prince  Charming. She wants  to be successful in  her career!  Bravo. Fairytales need  to be updated  and this one  does a fabulous   job  of  giving Cinderella a life beyond  romancing and singing. Oh  by  the way, Camina Cabello who plays the titular  dreamer is a great singer. But she  isn’t pining for  the prince. As they  say  the  ‘shoe’ must go on.Streaming since September 3.

5.     Money Heist Season 5(Netflix):  The wait for Money Heist is finally over, as the final season of the beloved show is now streaming . The gang has been shut in the Bank of Spain for over 100 hours. They have managed to rescue Lisbon, but their darkest moment is upon them after losing one of their own. The Professor has been captured by Sierra and, for the first time, doesn’t have an escape plan. Just when it seems like nothing else could go wrong, an enemy comes on the scene that is much more powerful than any they’ve faced: the army. The end of the greatest heist in history is approaching, and what began as a robbery will turn into a war.Streaming since September 3.