Sonam’s ‘Blind’ to Huma’s ‘Tarla’: 6 must-watch titles on OTT this week

Mumbai, July 7: OTT platforms have lined up a must-watch array of multi-genre content, from a thriller to a chilling horror drama, to a slice-of-life story, and more, giving you an opportunity to immerse yourself in captivating narratives.

From Sonam Kapoor’s unusual crime drama ‘Blind’ to the biopic on renowned cookbook writer Tarla Dalal, played by Huma Qureshi, OTT platforms are all delivering raw, resonant and moving content.

Here’s a list of this week’s unmissable titles:

‘Blind’ (July 7): Riveting Tale of Secrets

An intense drama headlined by Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, ‘Blind’ promises a perfect combination of suspense and drama, backed by an engrossing and nuanced storyline.

With an ensemble cast featuring Purab Kohli, Vinay Pathak, Lilette Dubey and Shubham Saraf, directed by Shome Makhija, ‘Blind’ is a captivating story of a visually impaired yet resilient woman (played by Sonam) who becomes a key witness to a crime.

In her efforts to trace the unusual turn of events and give her testimony about the incident, she is forced to confront the killer on her own. Purab, as the menacing antagonist, delivers a powerful performance in this riveting tale of secrets and suspense, with an intriguing cast that adds exciting layers to the story.

It releases today on JioCinema.

2) ‘Tarla’ (July 7): Feel-good story

Based on the life of the talented home cook who became a phenomenal cookbook author, Tarla Dalal, the ZEE5 original film is directed by Piyush Gupta, and stars Huma Qureshi in and as Tarla. It also features Sharib Hashmi in a pivotal role as Tarla’s husband and her support system.

The slice-of-life drama centres around Tarla, the most popular home chef of her time. The film introduces the young Tarla as someone who is ambitious and wants to do ‘something’ in her life, but is unable to find her calling.

With time she realises her love for cooking and goes from being an amateur cook to a professional one. Eventually, she opens her home cooking classes and then goes on to run her own television shows. It also gives a glimpse of Tarla’s life beyond food as it features her supportive husband and children.

A moving tale about an ambitious but novice chef, who goes on to become a culinary expert and a television celebrity, ‘Tarla’ is an out-and-out feel-good story. The film captures her many accomplishments as she was the first woman to have a cooking show and was also the first Indian to have won a Padma Shri for her contributions to the culinary arts.

The film is a tribute to this extraordinary woman and celebrates her undying passion for finding her purpose, her unyielding love for food and her unfading enthusiasm for ‘kuch karna hai’.

Produced by Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP Movies and Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Nitesh Tiwari’s Earthsky Pictures, ‘Tarla’ will stream on ZEE5 from July 7.

‘IB 71’ (July 7): A spy’s story during the 1971 War

Disney+ Hotstar will premiere the Vidyut Jammwal-starrer spy thriller ‘IB 71’ on July 7. The film did not gain much traction after its theatrical release, so it will be worth seeing if it can attract OTT audiences.

The movie unveils the untold story of India’s greatest spy mission set against the 1971 India-Pakistan war. Vidyut is seen playing the role of IB Agent Dev Jammwal. The film also stars Anupam Kher, Vishal Jethwa, Faizan, Khan, Ashwath Bhatt, Danny Sura, Dalip Tahil and Suvrat Joshi.

It is produced by T-Series, Reliance Entertainment and Action Hero Films.

‘Adhura’ (July 7): School confronts its demons

‘Adhura’ takes us on a chilling journey revolving around a prestigious residential school in Ooty, set in two timelines — 2022 and 2007.

Secrets, disappearances, and eerie occurrences connect a guilt-ridden alumnus Adhiraj (Ishwak Singh) and a troubled student Vedant (Shrenik Arora), blurring the lines between the past and present. As the shocking truth threatens to unravel, the batch of 2007 is forced to confront their inner demons. The school’s core is threatened, forever changing the lives of those involved.

Produced by Nikkhil Advani’s Emmay Entertainment and directed by Ananya Banerjee and Gauravv K. Chawla, the series features Ishwak Singh, Poojan Chhabra, Rijul Ray, Zoa Morani, Sahil Salathia, and Aru Krishansh Verma as high school friends alongside Rasika Dugal, Shrenik Arora and Rahul Dev playing pivotal roles.

It will stream from July 7 on Prime Video.

‘The Trial: Pyaar, Kaanoon, Dhokha’: Kajol headlines legal drama

The gritty courtroom drama stars Kajol as Noyonika Sengupta along with Sheeba Chaddha, Jisshu Sengupta, Alyy Khan, Kubbra Sait and Gaurav Pandey in key roles.

It follows the journey of Noyonika as she embarks on a journey that truly makes her stand the test of time after her husband’s betrayal. ‘The Trial’ showcases the gripping trial of life as Noyonika navigates through the curveballs life throws at her.

Produced by Banijay Asia, ‘The Trial’ will start streaming from July 14 on Disney+ Hotstar.

6) ‘Kohrra’ (July 15): Not your police-led crime drama

‘Kohrra follows the death of an NRI and the impact of grief, mutual suspicion and hidden secrets of the characters involved in the drama. Set in the heartland of Punjab and steeped in suspense, this new series follows dual storylines of hunting down a killer and navigating love and relationships.

It is a masterful exploration of human nature, depicting the darkness within, where the search for justice gets intertwined with the politics of interpersonal relationships.

Brought to life by a critically acclaimed cast including Suvinder Vicky, Barun Sobti, Varun Badola, Harleen Sethi, Rachel Shelly and Manish Chaudhary, and helmed by Sudip Sharma, Randeep Jha and Clean Slate Filmz Productions, ‘Kohrra’ promises an authentic narrative that goes beyond the age-old police investigation-led storylines.

It will release on Netflix on July 15.