Ex-Stream Benefits: Revaluating The Hits & Misses Of August on OTT

1.     Shershaah(Amazon  Prime Video): The  OTT triumph not  only  of  August  but probably  of  the whole year, Shershaah surpassed  all expectations to become  one of the most popular Indian feature  films to go directly  to digital. The film’s  popularity, which  has taken even Amazon by surprise, is attributable  to its  straightforward approach to the  heroism  of Indian soldier Vikram Batra. There is  no  attempt  to pull  any punches. The gimmick-free storytelling plus  Sidharth Malhotra’s  sincere performance made this a Independence  Day weekend  special , and  special for the  weekend  every  year to come. Plus, Disney-Hotstar’s Bhuj which came  a day later   did a real disservice to the Indian army. OTT audiences compared the two  films and embraced  Shershaah  even tighter.

2.     Netrikann(Disney-Hotstar):  Netrikann would not have been possible  without Nayanthara. Playing the blind  Durga, she is every bit a woman  in control  of her destiny.She is sharp and extra-alert because of  the  disability that strikes her  life right at the start of the film. No pushover, this victim of  fate.Durga is not  going to allow her  blindness to  darken her destiny.Striking a lovely figure with  her stick and her faithful dog , Nayanthara is  shot with fanboy lovingness by  director Milind Rau and his excellent  cinematographer R D Rajasekhar who  shot Sonakshi Sinha with    equal  affection in  Akira. But then there are  films, and  films,And there are  ladies ,and ladies.

3.     Navarasa(Netflix):  In this eclectic  uneven omnibus  of  nine stories based on the  nine basic human emotions  , the best  is  the  first story Edhir, based on the emotion of pity(Karuna) it features  two powerhouse performances  by  Vijay Sethupathi and  Revathy as an murderer  and  his victim’s wife. It is the  only reason to include  this  webseries in  August’s best. Edhir addresses itself to the question  of the conscience and the power/ambiguity  of  forgiveness  with such stupendous serenity, it is a joy to  behold the art  of Bejoy. As  for Sethupathi , he is  a  force of Nature. With one twitch of his eyebrow  he can convey  an ocean of conflicting emotions.No other story  in the  9-tiered   anthology can match the power  and sensitivity  of  Edhir.

4.     Home(Amazon Prime):  Home is  very special film. It earns itself some major concessions  from cinematic   protocol. We  forgive the sluggish  loose-limbed  pace because, well, life’s like that. It doesn’t follow any  specific rhythm and  movement. Most of the time we are nursing small splinters of our broken heart.Just like Oliver Twist,  the  original “Dil maange more” guy. Porridge  or providence, we are always searching for something more than  what destiny  doles out. Just like  Oliver in Home. Indeed Home is where the art  is.