Top 7 movies and shows you can watch this weekend
This weekend promises some noteworthy performances on the big and small screen. Ayushman Khurana, Raveena Tandon, Sushmita Sen and Sandra Bullock lead the cast of Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, Aranyak, Aarya 2 and The Unforgivable, respectively. For an ensemble effort, West Side Story and Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam are the ones to watch out for.
Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui: In cinemas
Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui has released in the theaters.
Manu (Ayushmann Khurrana) falls for Zumba trainer Maanvi (Vaani Kapoor) but things change when she tells him she is a trans-woman. Directed by Abhishek Kapoor, Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui explores the issue of gender identity in a comical way. The Indian Express film critic Shubhra Gupta gave the film 2.5 stars rating and wrote in her review, “The film does go down a path no mainstream Bollywood film has dared to, and yet comes off oddly generic.”
Read the review of Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui here.
Aranyak: Netflix
Raveena Tandon plays a cop in Aranyak. (Photo: Netflix)
Raveena Tandon has made her digital debut with Vinay Waikul directorial Aranyak. She features as a harried local cop Kasturi Dogra, who joins hands with Angad (Parambrata Chatterjee) to solve the murder case of a teenage tourist. As the two struggle to solve the case, old skeletons get dug up, and a forgotten myth gets revived. The murder mystery also stars Ashutosh Rana, Meghna Malik, Indraneil Sengupta and Zakir Hussain. If you are a fan of Raveena and have been waiting to watch her on screen, you can stream Aranyak on Netflix.
Read the review of Aranyak here.
Aarya 2: Disney Plus Hotstar
Sushmita Sen has returned as the titular character in Aarya 2.
The first season of Sushmita Sen’s digital debut, Aarya, was a super hit. And, now the second season of Ram Madhvani’s show has impressed critics. Once again Sen’s Aarya Sareen is back to protect her children and family at all costs even if that means dealing with the drug mafia and getting her hands dirty. The Indian Express critic Shubhra Gupta is already waiting for season three after watching season two. In her review, she wrote, “The real star of this season is Sen, the woman who is ‘just a working mother’, doing her thing. She overcomes our skepticism at her not being able to rise above her desire to look perfect at all times, and her dialogue delivery which can tend towards a practised sameness, and gets down and dirty.”
Read the review of Aarya 2 here.
The Unforgivable: Netflix
Nora Fingscheidt directorial The Unforgiveable stars America’s sweetheart Sandra Bullock as a matriarchal figure. She plays a woman who tries to rebuild her life after spending a long time in prison for a heinous crime. But it gets difficult for her to find a place for herself in society that refuses to forget her past. In his review, Indianexpress.com’s Rohan Naahar wrote, “The Unforgivable sort of undermines itself, and in a strange way, mocks its own title. Of course, Ruth can be forgiven. Especially after you’ve experienced the plot twist with which the movie ends. It’s worth noting, at this point, that Fingscheidt and her team of writers—Peter Craig, Hillary Seitz, and Courtenay Miles—have retained this ‘twist’ from the original British miniseries on which the film is based. The wise move would’ve been to alter it.”
Read the review of The Unforgiveable here.
West Side Story: In cinemas
West Side Story is based on the 1957 musical of the same name.
Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story is an adaptation of the famous Broadway musical of the same name by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. The plot revolves around two rival gangs belonging to two different ethnic groups, white American Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. Ansel Elgort’s Tony, a member of American Jets and Rachel Zegler’s Maria, a member of Sharks and Sharks’ leader Bernardo’s sister, fall in love. The Indian Express’ Shalini Langer feels Spielberg has put a “modern twist on the timeless story”. She wrote in her review, “In the divisions, tensions, uncertainties and silences of Steven Spielberg’s film, as much as in some of its songs, we notice our own worlds and realities.”
Read the review of West Side Story here.
Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam: ZEE5
Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story is an adaptation of the famous Broadway musical of the same name by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. The plot revolves around two rival gangs belonging to two different ethnic groups, white American Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks. Ansel Elgort’s Tony, a member of American Jets, and Rachel Zegler’s Maria, a member of Sharks and Sharks’ leader Bernardo’s sister, fall in love. The Indian Express’ Shalini Langer feels Spielberg has given a “modern twist on the timeless story”. She wrote in her review, “In the divisions, tensions, uncertainties and silences of Steven Spielberg’s film, as much as in some of its songs, we notice our own worlds and realities.”
Read the review of Qatil Haseenaon Ke Naam here.
Our recommendation
Aar Paar: Amazon Prime Video
Guru Dutt and Shakila in Aar Paar. (Photo: Express Archive)
Romantic comedy Aar Paar stars Guru Dutt, Shyama and Shakila. The film features some timeless melodies including “Sun Sun Sun Sun Zalima”, “Babuji Dheere Chalna”, “Ye Lo Main Haari Piya”, and “Mohabbat Kar Lo Jee Bhar Lo”. In her weekly column Bollywood Rewind, indianexpress.com’s Sampada Sharma wrote, “Aar Paar is a unique film that could be classified into ‘comic noir’ – a suspense thriller with loads of light moments. It is one of those simple films that can bring a smile to your face.”
