There’s a spate of book-to-screen adaptations dominating OTT streaming this week. Sukanya Verma lists her recommendations.
Priscilla
Where to watch? Mubi
Language: English
Sofia Coppola’s mesmerising biopic based on Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley chronicles a woman’s complicated marriage to her rock ‘n’ roll legend husband.
Maamla Legal Hai
Where to watch? Netflix
Language: Hindi
Eastern Delhi’s District Court is at the centre of chaos and drama in the new courtroom comedy starring Ravi Kishen and Naila Grewal.
Shogun
Where to watch? Disney+Hotstar
Language: Japanese, English (with subtitles)
James Clavell’s 17th century historical fiction novel comes to life in a sumptuous 10-part magnum opus about a Japanese feudal lord, English pilot and mysterious female samurai crossing paths against the backdrop of feudal Japan.
American Fiction
Where to watch? Amazon Prime Video
Language: English
Based on the 2001 novel Erasure by Percival Everett and recipient of five Oscar nominations, American Fiction‘s racial satire revolves around a frustrated novelist’s efforts to overturn stereotypical depictions by penning a novel under a pseudonym that panders to everything he stands against.
Poor Things
Where to watch? Rent on YouTube India, Google TV
Language: English
After winning two Golden Globes, including one for Emma Stone’s Best Actress, Yorgos Lanthimos has set his sights on the Academy Awards where it has been nominated in a whopping 11 categories.
In this adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s 1992 novel set in Victorian London, Stone portrays a woman springing back from the dead following a brain transplant and embarking on a bizarre journey of self-discovery.
Ride On
Where to watch? Disney+Hotstar
Language: Mandarin (with subtitles)
A down and out stuntman and his horse become social media sensations after their fight with debt collectors goes viral in the Jackie Chan action drama.
Spaceman
Where to watch? Netflix
Language: English
Jaroslav Kalfar’s science fiction novel, Spaceman of Bohemia forms the inspiration for this movie starring Adam Sandler as a Czech cosmonaut on a mission at the edge of the solar system until a curious encounter with a creature changes the course of his life.
Anyone But You
Where to watch? Rent on Amazon Prime Video, ZEE5
Language: English
Boy meets girl, sparks fly AND fizzle until they bump into each other again at a friend’s wedding Down Under and pretend to be a perfect couple in the Glen Powell-Sydney Sweeney rom-com.
Napoleon
Where to watch? Apple TV+
Language: English
The life and times of French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte as well as his marriage to Josephine are chronicled in Ridley Scott’s Joaquin Phoenix-led biopic.
My Name is Loh Kiwan
Where to watch? Netflix
Language: Korean (with subtitles)
Star of Vincenzo and Reborn Rich, Song Joong-ki plays a North Korean defector struggling to secure refugee status in Belgium where he gets romantically involved with a disillusioned woman in Kim Hee Jin’s directorial debut.
Wedding Impossible
Where to watch? Amazon Prime Video
Language: Korean (with subtitles)
Based on a webtoon of the same name, the K-drama looks into a marriage of convenience between a gay chaebol heir and movie starlet.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Where to watch? Jio Cinema
Language: English
Doing late night shifts may prove tougher than imagined for a security guard when the pizza eatery turns out to be teeming with murderous animatronics at midnight in the horror-based video game series of the same name.
Blue Star
Where to watch? Amazon Prime Video
Language: Tamil (with subtitles)
Politics and sports lock horns as the intense rivalry between two opposing teams heats up.
Sunflower Season 2
Where to watch? ZEE5
Language: Hindi
Cared for Sunil Grover’s shenanigans in the first season of Sunflower? Check out the all new season co-starring Adah Sharma where another murder in his residential building has fingers pointing at him again.
Singapore Saloon
Where to watch? Amazon Prime Video
Language: Tamil (with subtitles)
A coming-of-age comedy of a hairstylist fighting all odds, especially corporate ones, to fulfil his salon dreams.
