This week is big on entertainment with a host of interesting releases from across genres, on the home front as well as globally. We face the dangers of AI technology in Ananya Panday’s Netflix thriller CTRL and relive the horror of brutal, occult killings in a Maharashtrian village in the 1970s in SonyLiv’s Manvat Murders. Anupam Kher brings out the story of a heart-shattered man who must decide when to pull the plug on her wife of 35 years, who is now in a vegetative state, billing on expensive life support machines.
Internationally, two highly acclaimed web series are renewed for the third time. The Legend of Vox Machina takes us to the fantasy world of Exandria — from the popular game Dungeons & Dragons — and Heartstopper gives us more of the heartwarming love story of two teenage boys.
Next is the big news for anime lovers: Netflix is releasing a brand new adaptation of the Japanese manga Ranma ½. The series follows a young martial artist who turns into a girl with a splash of cold water and needs a splash of hot water to get back to normalcy.
Top OTT Releases This Week (September 30 – October 6)
This week’s lot of our favourite picks are a mix of critics-approved shows making a return, chilling recreations, and a refreshing slice of less-covered themes in Indian cinema. Here is more about the same to help you decide on your first binge-watch series of films of the week!
But that’s not all – streaming platforms are bursting with a diverse range of exciting new releases across genres, offering something for every taste and preference. To cater to all the cinephiles, we’ve listed all the releases of the week at the end of this article. Dive in and discover your next favourite show or movie!
CTRL
Release Date: October 4
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Where to Watch: Netflix
Cast: Ananya Panday, Vihaan Samat, Devika Vatsa, Kamakshi Bhat
Social media and artificial intelligence have both plagued our lives beyond measure. In CTRL, we witness their darker side and potential dangers. Here, we meet a social media power couple: Nella Awasthi (Ananya Panday) and Joe Mascarenhas (Vihaan Samat), whose perfect on-screen life crumbles after an ugly public breakup. A heartbroken Awasthi seeks help from an AI application to erase Mascarenhas from her life. Everything seems fine until the application starts taking control of her life, turning her into a mere spectator.
The Signature
Release Date: October 4
Genre: Drama
Where to Watch: Zee5
Cast: Anupam Kher, Mahima Chaudhry, Ranvir Shorey, Annu Kapoor, Sneha Paul, Manoj Joshi, Maira Khan, Neena Kulkarni, Herman Dsouza
Anupam Kher’s The Signature deals with the sensitive subject of life support systems for terminal patients. Kher here plays an ordinary middle-class man whose beloved wife of 35 years is put on a life support system after an unexpected health crisis. As medical bills keep mounting and hopes of her reviving shrinking, the husband is caught up in the heart-breaking dilemma of whether to continue the treatment or pull the plug on her vegetative wife. The film is a Hindi adaptation of Vikram Gokhale‘s National Award-winning Marathi film Anumati (2013).
Manvat Murders
Release Date: October 4
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Where to Watch: SonyLiv
Cast: Ashutosh Gowariker, Sonali Kulkarni, Sai Tamhankar, Makarand Anaspure, Mayur Khandge, Kishor Kadam
Between 1970 and 1976, the Manvat village of Maharashtra was horrified by the mysterious murders of a few children, infants, and women. The bodies are said to have strange marks suggestive of occult or ritualistic killing. Even after years of probe, the culprits and motives behind these brutal killings are still not clear. SonyLiv’s eight-part series is based on these murders and retells the story from the perspective of an investigating officer. It will be available to stream in Marathi, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and Bengali.
The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3
Release Date: October 3
Genre: Action, Adventure, Animation
Where to Watch: Prime Video
Cast: Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Matthew Mercer, Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, Travis Willingham
The Legend of Vox Machina returns once again with the adventurers ready to give it their all to save the fantasy world of Exandria. This season, we see our misfit heroes surviving in hell, taking on dangerous battles, and grappling with tumultuous personal struggles. Meanwhile, the romance between Keyleth and Vax keeps blooming amidst the chaos.
The series is based on the first campaign of the web series Critical Role, which is, in turn, based on the game Dungeons & Dragons. Both seasons were well received by both critics and the audience and have a rating of 100% on the popular review website Rotten Tomatoes.
Ranma ½
Release Date: October 5
Genre: Anime, Adventure, Comedy
Where to Watch: Netflix
Cast: Megumi Hayashibara, Kappei Yamaguchi, Kagga Jayson, Noriko Hidaka, Akio Ôtsuka, Kôichi Yamadera, Minami Takayama, Kikuko Inoue, Chô, Ken’ichi Ogata
Ranma ½ is one of the most popular manga series of all time. It follows the story of Ranma Saotome, a young martial artist who turns into a girl after being splashed with cold water and back to a boy with hot water. As romance comes knocking at his door, this curse makes things further complicated for him. The series was earlier serialized in Weekly Shōnen Sunday in Japan from August 1987 to March 1996. Some of the original voice actors, including Kappei Yamaguchi, Megumi Hayashibara, and Noriko Hidaka, are reprising their roles.
Heartstopper Season 3
Release Date: October 3
Genre: Drama, Romance
Where to Watch: Netflix
Cast: Joe Locke, Kit Connor, Jonathan Bailey, Hayley Atwell, Eddie Marsan, Nicol Shaw, Marcel Wirtl
The heartwarming romance between Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) and Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) is back to charm viewers for the third time. Our lovestruck boys are now ready to face the looming pressures of adulthood – university prep, personal anxieties, and emotional growth. Meanwhile, Charlie is having a hard time articulating his feelings. Needless to say, as their relationship evolves, more drama follows. Jonathan Bailey joins the cast this season as Charlie’s celebrity crush.
List of Other OTT Releases This Week
From the exciting world of Simpsons, returning to entertain us for the 36th time, to a peak into Swedish luxury real estate, here’s everything new from the entertainment world this week. As you binge on these, don’t forget to check our entertainment hub and keep your watchlist updated.
Movie/SeriesStreaming PlatformLanguageGenreOTT Release DateThe Simpsons Season 36Disney+HotstarEnglishComedy, Animation, Satire30-Sep-24Ninna Jothe Nanna KatheDisney+HotstarKannadaDrama30-Sep-24Sab CulturesDisney+HotstarHindiDocumentary, Music01-Oct-24Chef’s Table: NoodlesNetflixEnglishDocumentary, Food02-Oct-24Tim Dillon: This Is Your CountryNetflixEnglishUnscripted Comedy01-Oct-24Where’s WandaApple TvGerman, EnglishDrama02-Oct-24Making it in MarbellaNetflixSwedishReality, Lifestyle02-Oct-24Love is Blind Season 7NetflixEnglishReality, Romance02-Oct-24The Bad Guys: Haunted HeistNetflixEnglishAnimation, Comdey, Kid03-Oct-24House of SpoilsPrime VideoEnglishHorror, Thriller03-Oct-24TroubleNetflixSwedishAction, Comedy03-Oct-24#OOTD: Outfit of the DesignerNetflixIndonesianDrama, Romance03-Oct-24Hold Your BreathDisney+HotstarEnglishHorror, Drama03-Oct-24Curses Season 2Apple TvEnglishAnimation, Adventure04-Oct-24The TribePrime VideoHindiReality04-Oct-24The Platform 2NetflixArabicDrama, Thriller04-Oct-24It’s What’s InsideNetflixEnglishComedy, Mystery, Sci-Fi04-Oct-24Highway Love Season 2Amazon miniTV, MX PlayerHindiRomance, Comedy04-Oct-24Amar Prem Ki Prem KahaniJioCinemaHindiRomance, Comedy04-Oct-24Colourrs of LoveZee5HindiDrama, Romance04-Oct-24Harta Tahta RaisaNetflixIndonesianBiography, Documentary04-Oct-24PaduNetflixMalaySport, Documentart, Biography06-Oct-24Bigg Boss Tamil Season 8 Disney+HotstarTamilReality Show, Romance06-Oct-24Where’s Wanda, Apple TV’s first German series, is releasing worldwide on October 2 Gadgets 360