A marathon six-hour-long showcase in Mumbai witnessed streaming giant Prime Video unveil its latest power-packed slate. Titled ‘Prime Video Presents’ and co-hosted by filmmaker Karan Johar, Prime Video Presents brought forth as many as 54 titles — spanning series, films, Amazon MGM Originals and licensed titles. Present at the showcase at Grand Hyatt in Mumbai, t2 spotlights the titles we have our eyes on.
STORM
The showcase kicked off with Hrithik Roshan on stage — this time as producer. The Bollywood superstar’s HRX Films makes its debut with Storm. Present with a dapper Hrithik at the launch were the show’s makers as well as its female-dominated cast, comprising Parvathy Thiruvothu, Alaya F and Saba Azad. The powerful first look — that follows the story of five women drawn into a web of deception when a sustainable housing project unravels into a deadly scam — has us queuing up already!
MESS
Further strengthening Hrithik’s association with Prime Video is the original movie Mess. Described as “a home-invasion thriller with a comedic touch”, Mess is frontlined by Pratik Gandhi. “This is a film that will make you laugh,” was the promise from director Rajesh A. Krishnan.
SYSTEM
Sonakshi Sinha and Jyothika join forces in this courtroom drama that has Sonakshi playing a lawyer and Jyothika a stenographer. Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari directs System, that also stars Ashutosh Gowariker. “We need to break boundaries and tell stories that define the pure form of humanity,” said Ashwiny at the launch, while Jyothika focused on the “unique connect between the two female protagonists”.
WELCOME TO KHOYA MAHAL
Konkona Sensharma returns to the director’s chair with the intriguing pair of Aditi Rao Hydari and Barun Sobti, who play former royals and half siblings tasked with taking over a remote heritage hotel as part of their crumbling inheritance. Konkona was present at the showcase with Aditi and Barun, with the promise of a fun, emotional ride. Mother Aparna Sen also features in the cast.
RAAKH
When two teenagers vanish, a close-knit family is shattered and a city is left on edge. Determined to uncover the truth, a relentless officer leads a nationwide manhunt that pulls him deep into a world of violence and human depravity. Ali Fazal and Sonali Bendre were at hand to present Raakh, a hard-hitting drama directed by Paatal Lok man Prosit Roy. Aamir Bashir, Dibyendu Bhattacharya and Rakesh Bedi co-star in this series that seems inspired by the infamous Geeta and Sanjay Chopra kidnapping case.
TEEN KAUWE
Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na maker Abbas Tyrewala returns to create a globe-trotting spy thriller. Sidhant Gupta plays an ex-secret agent, believed to be a mole and thought dead for seven years, who must return to find the traitor who framed him, while his own agency is trying to terminate him. Bobby Deol is the big name in the cast that comprises talents like Fatima Sana Shaikh, Ronit Roy and Faisal Malik.
THE REVOLUTIONARIES
Nikkhil Advani directs a period action drama based on a “lesser-known chapter” of the 1857 Uprising. Based in Bengal, The Revolutionaries — that was introduced via a scintillating performance at Prime Video Presents and is based on the book of the same name written by Sanjeev Sanyal — has Rohit Saraf, Pratibha Rannta, Bhuvan Bam and Gurfateh Pirzada playing its principal characters.
ANARTH
A made-in-Calcutta supernatural fest? Take our money already! Kalki Koechlin, Gulshan Devaiah, Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Preeti Panigrahi make up the intriguing cast of Anarth, whose synopsis reads: “A motherless child and a childless mother are forced to face their grief when a sinister presence called Boba threatens to silence them forever.” The first look is a #win.
ASI BABITA SINGH REPORTING
Nimisha Sajayan piles on the kilos to play a bumbling cop who comes of age in this series that also has Barun Sobti and Anushuman Pushkar in its cast. “Babita is a cop by accident... until she is not”, was the word from the team of this unlikely cop drama with an emotional core.
ADARSH BAAL VIDYALAYA
In a dysfunctional government school, a laidback headmaster’s attempt to turn around the school sparks a chaotic makeover — forcing a ragtag team of teachers to fix the broken system, one blackboard lesson at a time. Kay Kay Menon promises a ride worth your time and expectations with Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya, a humour-driven series that also stars Archana Puran Singh.
DON’T BE SHY
Alia Bhatt made an appearance as producer, sister and co-producer Shaheen in tow, for Don’t Be Shy, that follows the story of Shyamili ‘Shy’ Das, a 20-year-old girl who thinks she has everything figured out till her perfectly planned life takes an unpredictable turn. Karan Johar, who did a swell job co-hosting Prime Video Presents, posed a cheeky question to Alia at the showcase. “Will there be outsiders in the cast?” Karan wickedly asked Alia, a nod to the nepotism debate. “Yes!” laughed Alia, simple and stunning in a white top and barrel jeans.
SUNDAR POONAM
On their idyllic honeymoon in Kashmir, a newlywed couple goes missing, unravelling a chilling truth about Poonam, the bride, whose obsessive love story, twisted past and shocking secrets pull everyone around her into a deadly spiral. Aditya Rawal and Sanya Malhotra play the eponymously-named couple in this mystery thriller whose first look has piqued interest. We want to know more!
MATKA KING
“Matka King is about a man who found a loophole in the gambling system and ran with it, creating an enterprise”, was the word from actor Vijay Varma at the launch of his new series that also brought fellow cast members Kritika Kamra, Gulshan Grover, Sai Tamhankar and Siddharth Jadhav to the stage. Sairat maker Nagraj Manjule directs.
LUKKHE
The announcement of Lukkhe was preceded by a robust performance by hip-hop star KING, who also stars in the series about a young sportsman who infiltrates the wild and dangerous world of Punjab’s rap music to investigate a drug syndicate. Rashi Khanna and Palak Tiwari form part of the ensemble cast.
AMAZON MGM ORIGINALS: Theatrical releases backed by Amazon MGM RAFTAAR
Rajkummar Rao and wife Patralekhaa produce this film set in the booming world of Indian ed-tech. Rajkummar is joined by Keerthy Suresh in this film about fading ethics and unsteady morality. “Extraordinary banne ke liye out of syllabus jaana padega”, was the word from Rajkummar. We hear that!
DILKASHI
Hansal Mehta produces this romance with an edge that is directed by Angamaly Diaries maker Lijo Jose Pellissery. Munjya young gun Abhay Verma shoulders this A.R. Rahman musical, which according to Mehta, is “a crooked love story with 12-13 songs”. “A lot of dreams come true for me with this film,” added Abhay.
NAYYI NAVELLI
Yami Gautam Dhar headlines this supernatural comedy about an “otherworldly bahu”, that is produced by Aanand L. Rai. “This is a hatke and original idea. When an original idea is backed by visionaries, I expect some magic to happen,” smiled a luminous Yami in yellow at Prime Video Presents.
VIBE
Kunal Kemmu’s follow-up to Madgaon Express as writer-director is this comedy-drama about a clueless slacker and his by-the-book best friend who find the fate of the nation in their hands when they accidentally stumble onto a terrorist plot. Kunal stars in the film along with Laapataa Ladies lad Sparsh Srivastava. We are looking forward to seeing Preity Zinta — who was her usual glowing presence at the showcase — back on screen.
KUKU KI KUNDLI
The super popular Bhuvan Bam stars as the leading man in this Karan Johar production that pairs him with Wamiqa Gabbi. “Kuku is awkward and shy around women, but like many other Delhi guys, he is also a lover boy,” laughed Bhuvan while presenting the film directed by Sharan Sharma.
RETURNING SHOWS FARZI 2
Launched with an energetic shower of ‘farzi’ currency that rained down from the ceiling, creators Raj & DK announced the second season of their smash-hit thriller series that also saw leading man Shahid Kapoor in the house. A part of the cast — Kay Kay Menon, Rashi Khanna, Kubbra Sait, Zakir Hussain and Bhuvan Arora — also joined in. “Season 2 of Farzi is a level up from Season 1, but also a natural progression. It is my favourite show and one of my favourite characters,” said Shahid. Added Raj: “We had been breaking our heads trying to come up with a worthy sequel. This is a grittier and darker season.”
DAHAAD 2
Representing Team Dahaad — which is now in the middle of shooting Season 2 — was producer Zoya Akhtar. Reema Kagti returns to direct the much-awaited new season that sees a missing-persons case set off a hunt for a serial killer, with Sonakshi Sinha’s tenacious cop Anjali Meghwal at the front and centre. Gulshan Devaiah, Sikander Kher and Viineet Kumar Singh make up the rest of the power-packed cast. Can’t wait!
CALL ME BAE 2
Shruti Haasan joins the “behen code” in the second season of Call Me Bae, that stars Ananya Panday as the titular character. Bae — with Ananya present with her co-stars at the showcase — returns to “slay, slay, slay” in what promises to be a fun and frothy follow-up that brings back its original cast, including Vir Das and Gurfateh Pirzada.
LICENSED TITLES: Films to release on Prime Video after theatrical run
VVAN — FORCE OF THE FORREST
Sidharth Malhotra was cheered on loudly as he introduced his theatrical project, Vvan, a folklore thriller in which he plays a rational urban man who defies the laws of his ancestral forest and must now protect his people from annihilation. “Vvan is a masala film with an emotional core, something that we have been missing in theatres,” said Tamannaah Bhatia who joined Sidharth to talk about their film that also stars Maniesh Paul, Sunil Grover and Shweta Tiwari.
NAAGZILLA
Kartik Aaryan was conspicuous by his absence, but producer Karan Johar and his team were at hand to take the audience into the world of Naagzilla. Fukrey man Mrighdeep Singh Lamba directs this hatke story of a shape-shifting serpent whose once carefree life is threatened by the advent of a wily, power-hungry villain. “Creature features generally evoke fear, but Naagzilla is a creature feature with comedy. It is Hera Pheri with Fukrey in an icchadhari world,” said director Lamba.
SPECIAL MENTION MIRZAPUR: THE MOVIE
Making a power-packed transition from the small screen to the big is Mirzapur, whose next instalment will be Mirzapur: The Movie. Ali Fazal, Pankaj Tripathi and Divyenndu (who marks a welcome return to the franchise in the film after being bumped off in Season 2) strode on to the stage to talk about the next innings of their winner of a show. “We have already shot the film. It was a lot of fun,” smiled Ali, with the Mirzapur ladies — Shweta Tripathi Sharma, Rasika Dugal, Shriya Pilgaonkar and Harshita Gaur — joining in. Mirzapur: The Movie storms into theatres on September 4.
Which three titles from this list are you putting on your watchlist?
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