From ‘The Hunt For Veerappan’ to ‘Made in Heaven 2’: 5 titles to watch this week

New Delhi, Aug 3: It’s an entertainment-filled August on the OTT, which is a gateway to a trove of cinematic wonders, that captures the essence of grand storytelling and awe-inspiring visuals.

With the action, drama, and romance stories, there are numerous possibilities for binge-watching series on the OTT platforms, but only a few are worthy of our time.

From biographical true-crime docu-series to international Emmy nominated series thriller to climate fiction (cli-fi), IANS has brought an enthralling slate, which will captivate audiences of varied choices with titles spanning across genres and languages.

Here’s a list of five titles on various OTT platforms that have caught the attention of IANS:

1) ‘The Hunt for Veerappan’:

The biographical true-crime docu-series explores the untold story of India’s infamous outlaw.

A husband, father, leader and wanted criminal. While the image of the man with a handlebar moustache and gaunt cheekbones is well-known, there are many other aspects of Veerappan’s life that have remained hidden in the dark forests of South India.

‘The Hunt For Veerappan’ unveils this saga with accounts from those closest to him. Directed by first-time docu director Selvamani Selvaraj, the series is produced by Apoorva Bakshi and Monisha Thyagarajan, along with Kimberley Hassett.

For 17 years, Veerappan was the subject of India’s longest and costliest manhunt. The cinematic series delves into the unseen and unheard, presenting firsthand accounts from individuals close to Veerappan and those who tirelessly sought to capture him.

From shedding light on the authorities’ struggle to apprehend him to providing a political and social commentary that reveals the politics of disparity, the docu-series unravels his captivating tale and the disorder that ensued.

The four-part docu-series will take viewers through the hunt in Tamil and English. It will also be available in Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, and Malayalam. It will premiere on Netflix on August 4.

2) ‘Made in Heaven’ season 2:

Produced by Excel Media and Entertainment and Tiger Baby, the International Emmy nominated series is directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, Neeraj Ghaywan, Nitya Mehra, Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar.

Season Two of the International Emmy nominated show beautifully reveals the dichotomy of tradition, modern aspirations and societal belief systems set against the canvas of lavish Indian weddings.

‘Made in Heaven Season 2’ takes us into the lives of its lead characters, who were at the crossroads at the end of Season 1. With new brides and new challenges, our favourite wedding planners deal with their professional and personal setbacks.

The second season of the show promises to be grander, filled with romance, drama, and weddings, along with familiar and new faces and a compelling plot. With the new season, the International Emmy nominated series will delve deeper into the lives of its characters who navigate the complexities of organizing and celebrating marriages while their own lives unfold in unexpected ways.

The new season promises an impressive slew of guest stars such as Mrunal Thakur, Radhika Apte, Dia Mirza, Neelam Kothari, Shibani Dandekar, Sanjay Kapoor, Samir Soni, Pulkit Samrat and Vikrant Massey, Elnaaz Norouzi, Imaad Shah, Sarah Jane Dias, Shrishti Behl, Neil Bhoopalam, Lillete Dubey, Anurag Kashyap and Sabyasachi.

The show returns with the franchise’s stellar cast including Sobhita Dhulipala, Arjun Mathur, Jim Sarbh, Kalki Koechlin, Shashank Arora, Shivani Raghuvanshi and Vijay Raaz reprising their roles and features new faces such as Mona Singh, Ishwak Singh and Trinetra Haldar.

It will stream on Prime Video from August 10.

3) ‘The Jengaburu Curse’:

Directed by National Award-winning filmmaker Nila Madhab Panda, the series stars an ensemble cast of actors including Faria Abdullah, Nasser, Makarand Deshpande, Sudev Nair, Deipak Sampat and Hitesh Dave in pivotal roles. It is written by Mayank Tewari.

A sudden call brings back Priya (Faria), a financial analyst from London to Odisha. A series of strange events follow as she sets on the search for her missing father, an activist who was imprisoned for siding with an indigenous tribe.

Against the backdrop of bauxite mining, unexplained deaths and displaced tribals, Priya discovers an international nexus connecting various cities and Jengaburu. Why is the small mining town of Jengaburu at the epicenter of this?

The Jengaburu Curse is India’s first cli-fi web-series that delves into the exploitation of natural resources for human greed, resulting in fatal consequences.

It will be streaming from August 9 on Sony LIV.

4) ‘Dayaa’:

The highly anticipated Telugu crime thriller is produced by SVF Entertainment. The Telugu series features J D Chekravarthy, Ramya Nambeesan, and Eesha Rebba in captivating lead roles.

Capturing life in a quaint fishing village, the Pavan Sadineni directorial brings an unusual story of a freezer van driver with a dark past.

The crime thriller follows the life of Daya (played by JD) on a fateful night when he discovers a woman’s body in his van. His life takes an unexpected turn as he becomes enmeshed in crime and bloodshed. Mystery remains at the core of the series as it explores morality, dark pasts and the cost of unearthing the truth. It promises an edge-of-the-seat thriller through its captivating cinematography, stellar plot and mesmerising performances.

The edge-of-the-seat crime thriller will be available to stream in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali and Marathi.

It will release Disney+ Hotstar on August 4.

5) ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ Season 4:

The fourth and final season of ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’, an American mockumentary musical drama television series is created by Tim Federle. It stars Joshua Bassett as Ricky Bowen, Sofia Wylie as Gina Porter, Julia Lester as Ashlyn Caswell, Dara Renee as Kourtney Greene, Frankie Rodriguez as Carlos Rodriguez, Liamani Segura as Emmy and Kate Reinders as Miss Jenn.

Season four will see the Wildcats returning to East High, where they prepare a stage production of ‘High School Musical 3: Senior Year’.  But plans are disrupted when Disney announces the long-awaited ‘High School Musical 4: The Reunion’ movie will shoot on location at their beloved high school.

It is scheduled to premiere on Disney+, with all eight episodes, on August 9.