Top New OTT Releases This Week: Showtime, Ricky Stanicky, Maharani Season 3, Merry Christmas

Streaming platform releases this week include the biopic based on the life of an Italian adult film actor, dark secrets of the seemingly glamorous film industry, a fantasy adventure where a princess fights a fire-breathing dragon, an R-rated comedy, and a political thriller. The biggest Indian original this week has to be Disney+ Hotstar’s Emraan Hashmi starrer Showtime, where he is seen playing the son of a successful film producer. Another big Indian title to make its digital debut is Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi’s Merry Christmas, a crime thriller that actually begins as a romance. Here you’ll see the two strangers dealing with a dead body on the first night of their meeting.

For those looking for a no-brainer and entertaining light watch, we recommend Zac Efron and John Cena’s Ricky Stanicky, which is bound to make you laugh. Here you’ll meet three childhood friends who invent an imaginary Ricky Stanicky, whom they can use as a handy alibi and put the blame on for all their misconducts. Things take a hilarious turn when they hire a dimwit, washed-up actor to play Ricky when the families grow suspicious of his existence. John Cena has done an impressive job at playing this delusionally confident actor, who takes up this acting job too far.

For those looking for something from the pages of fantasy, Millie Bobby Brown’s Damsel could do it. She plays a dutiful princess whose wedding turns into a nightmare when she learns that she is actually a sacrifice brought in to settle the ancient debts to a fire-breathing dragon.

On the international shore, you could go for the K-drama Queen of Tears which follows a marital couple fighting fading romance in their marriage.

Some other notable OTT releases of the week are Hot Wheels Let’s Race, Full Swing Season 2, The Gentlemen, and The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy Season 2.

Here are our picks for the top OTT releases of the week.

Best OTT Releases This Week

Supersex

When: Now Streaming

Where: Netflix

Supersex is a steamy biography of the popular Italian pornographic actor Rocco Siffredi. It narrates his journey from ordinary days to how he topped the adult film industry worldwide in no time.

The show starts with a sex convention where Rocco is announcing his retirement, making room for the rest of the series to be shown in flashback.

Get ready to explore the fame he experienced, the demons of his past, tumultuous relationships, and other personal anecdotes from his life, in this seven-part series.

The only Indian language in which the show has been dubbed is Hindi. Among the foreign language options are English, Portuguese, Czech, Spanish, French, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Japanese, Polish, and Turkish.

Showtime

When: Now Streaming

Where: Disney+ Hotstar

The four-part series will take you to the underbelly of the other glamorous Bollywood film industry. The complex power dynamics, fierce competition, mistrust, and every other dark aspect are covered.

Emran Hashmi plays Raghu Khanna, the son of a successful film producer, whose inheritance comes under threat after his father’s demise. This is Hashmi’s second OTT project after Netflix’s Bard of Blood (2019).

Mouni Roy, Shriya Saran, Naseeruddin Shah, Rajeev Khandelwal, and Mahima Makwana can also be seen in prominent roles.

Merry Christmas

When: Now Streaming

Where: Netflix

On Christmas Eve of the 1980s, a man (Vijay Sethupathi) returns to Bombay from Dubai only to discover that his mother is no more. Drenched in his sorrow, he crosses paths with a gorgeous woman called Maria (Katrina Kaif), who got stood up on a date because she brought her daughter along. Romance sparks off and the two instantly hit it off. Everything was going rosy and the two ended up at her apartment. Soon suspense and crime take over when a dead body is discovered in the apartment. The film was filmed simultaneously in Hindi and Tamil.

Damsel

When: Now Streaming

Where: Netflix

Princess Elodie’s dream fairytale comes to a jerking halt when she realises that her marriage with a charming prince is a sham and that she has been welcomed by the royal family as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt. Soon she finds herself trapped alone in a cave with a fire-breathing dragon. The rest of the film revolves around the damsel trying to make it out of the cave alive.

Maharani Season 3

When: Now Streaming

Where: SonyLiv

Rani Bharti is still in jail for the false accusation of attempting to murder her husband; not ready to apply for bail. The ambitious housewife-turned-politician decides to fight fairly for justice and strongly believes that the judicial system will prove her innocent. As ugly twists and turns take over, more drama unfurls in this political thriller exploring the dark underbelly of Bihar politics.

Ricky Stanicky

When: Now

Where: Prime Video

Three childhood friends (Zac Efron, Andrew Santino, Jermaine Fowler) decide to blame all their misbehaviours on an imaginary “Ricky Stanicky”. From Halloween pranks to getting out of uncomfortable situations, Ricky Stanicky has been their ultimate saviour and cover-up for almost two decades. However, when their families finally become suspicious of whether such a man exists, the trio decide to hire a washed-up actor called Rod (John Cena), who does poor impersonations of celebrities, makes songs on masturbation, and performs in a shady club. The raging alcoholic flop actor takes this role of a lifetime too seriously and immediately steals the show. Get ready for lots of laughter in this light-hearted comedy by Peter Farrelly.

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Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone mock HGTV in Showtime’s ‘The Curse’

Showtime’s new satire “The Curse” is not an easy watch — and it might make you cringe.

But, for those who enjoy star/co-creator Nathan Fielder’s other idiosyncratic work (Comedy Central’s “Nathan For You,” HBO’s “The Rehearsal”) the series, premiering Nov. 12 at 10 p.m. is worth a watch. (It’s also streaming on Paramount+).

The story follows Whitney and Asher Siegel (Emma Stone, Fielder), a newlywed couple struggling to bring their vision for eco-friendly housing to the small community of Española, NM. 

They’re also trying to make an HGTV-style reality show about their efforts called “Flipanthropy.” 

Whitney tears down old houses and replaces them with her eco-friendly homes. (She quickly deletes Instagram comments saying that she ripped off another artist’s designs, and shuts down reporters questions about her parents being “slumlords.”) Asher, who is awkward on camera while trying to film their show, handles the buying and construction parts of the gig. 

Asher (Nathan Fielder) and Whitney (Emma Stone) talking to a reporter for their show.
Richard Foreman Jr./A24/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME
Benny Safdie as Dougie, a reality TV producer who is also Asher’s childhood friend.
Richard Foreman Jr./A24/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME

It’s not a direct satire of Chip and Joanna Gaines — since their personalities and goals are different — but, nonetheless, “The Curse” will be familiar for those who have tuned into any house-flipping show hosted by a couple.

Whitney and Asher tell themselves that they’re more virtuous than other reality shows; instead of ignoring local people who get displaced by house-flipping, they’re trying to help them.

Eccentric producer Dougie (series co-creator Benny Safdie), who is also Asher’s childhood friend, criticizes their planned TV show as “boring” and feeling like an “infomercial.” He thinks the show could be a hit — if only they spice it up.

Asher (Nathan Fielder) and Whitney (Emma Stone) are trying to do an HGTV show, and self-righteous about helping the community.
Richard Foreman Jr./A24/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME
Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder seem to revel in getting weird for “The Curse.”
Richard Foreman Jr./A24/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME

Dougie keeps butting heads with Whitney, who disapproves of his methods. In one instance, while they’re filming a segment, Dougie pours water on a woman’s face after she learns that they gave her unemployed son a job, but the woman fails to react emotionally.

Whitney objects that giving her fake tears is “disgraceful” (“We don’t treat people that way!”) Dougie also tries turning the couple against each other — and they don’t make it difficult.

Oh, they’re also trying to have a child and, when Asher accidentally offends a local girl who tells him “I curse you,” it begins feeling like that might be more than just a kid’s whimsical utterance.  

Benny Safdie as Dougie, Emma Stone as Whitney and Nathan Fielder as Asher.
Anna Kooris/A24/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME
Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone play a couple who aren’t quite Chip and Joanna Gaines, but are a satire of that ilk.
Richard Foreman Jr./A24/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME

There are a lot of topics addressed in the show: gentrification, reality TV, house flipping, self-righteous wealthy people who tell themselves they’re “helping” those who are less fortunate, sex, religion.

At times, it feels like too much. But the show plows along with confidence and, for the most part, doesn’t feel like it’s randomly flailing around.  

As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that Whitney and Asher aren’t quite as virtuous as they want the world to think they are. 

“The Curse” is fully scripted, unlike Fielder’s other series, and it’s not always readily apparent when a scene is being played straight or when it’s supposed to be funny. 

Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie both star in the show, and also both created and wrote it.
Richard Foreman Jr./A24/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME
Asher (Nathan Fielder) with the little girl who says “I curse you!”
Richard Foreman Jr./A24/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME

Similar to his other work — and to Safdie’s work directing and co-writing movies like “Uncut Gems” and “Good Time” — the series seems to revel in purposefully making its audience uncomfortable.

Some viewers might lose patience with that type of story. It’s not a gentle sitcom that you can let wash over you.

But, to audiences who don’t mind comedy that’s abrasive and strange – as well as clever —  there’s a lot to like.

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Disney+ Hotstar Announces Mahabharata, Showtime, Koffee With Karan Season 8 at D23 Expo 2022

Disney+ Hotstar is bringing three new Indian titles to its streaming platform — Showtime, Mahabharata, and Koffee with Karan Season 8. The announcement was made by the Head of Content at Disney+ Hotstar Gaurav Banerjee on Saturday at the D23 Expo. This event is being held at the Anaheim Convention Center in California, United States. These three new shows strengthen the platform’s collaboration with Bollywood producer Karan Johar as well as form a new association with Madhu Mantena, Mythoversestudios, and Allu Entertainment.

Banerjee joined a panel on international content at the D23 Expo to discuss “eclectic global content trends, particularly highlighting Disney+ Hotstar‘s role in shaping content in India and beyond.” Here, he announced that Showtime, Mahabharata, and Koffee with Karan Season 8 will soon be launched on the streaming platform.

Speaking on the announcement, Johar exclaimed his excitement for the return of his talk show, which first aired almost 18 years ago, for another season. He revealed that Dharma Production will also be bringing a new fiction series titled Showtime. It will be a drama series that will try to bring forward the trade secrets of India’s entertainment industry.

Mahabharata, on the other hand, will be based on one of the greatest epics of ancient India. Through the battle for succession between Pandava and Kaurava princes, it will speak of the ultimate conflict between “dharma” and “adharma”. There are no details available regarding the cast of this show as of now.

Disney’s D23 Expo kicked off on Saturday and is scheduled to run until September 11. During this annual event, studios like Disney, Pixar, and Marvel will be showcasing their future projects. Trailers for The Little Mermaid, Amy Adams-led Disenchanted, and Hocus Pocus 2 have already been revealed. Marvel also unveiled the trailer for the tactical role-playing game Midnight Suns and an untitled game that pits Captain America and Black Panther against each other.


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