What’s hot on the VoD platforms? 

We are in the middle of the election season. Polling is making headlines. And, so are politicians. India, however, being a cricket besotted nation, millions are watching the Indian Premier League (IPL) across the country. That explains why Hotstar is attracting eyeballs. The video-on-demand service has the rights for streaming these T20 matches, and cricket buffs who aren’t close to a television set are exercising the option of tuning in at 8 pm on weekdays, and at 4 pm followed by 8 pm to watch weekend specials with two matches each on Saturdays and Sundays.

Video-on-demand services are doing the best they can to keep their target audiences interested. New films are reaching their subscribers soon after they leave the theatres or experience a natural slowdown. Amazon Prime Video is showing some interesting new films one might wish to watch – if one hasn’t done it already. On that list are 2.0, the high-budget Rajinikanth-Akshay Kumar sci-fi drama and the standalone sequel to Enthiran; Gully Boy based on the life and times of a rapper from a Mumbai slum: and Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, the story of Rani Laxmibai, who had confronted the British might during India’s war of Independence in 1857.

Are you someone who is always on the lookout for new original series? If so, you might wish to watch Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti’s Made in Heaven, which is available in nine episodes on Amazon Prime Video. The series follows the lives of two wedding planners (Sobhita Dhulipala and Arjun Mathur), who deal with a new couple and their parents each time.

The two planners have their personal concerns, with the woman dealing with a failing marriage and the gay man with his closeted sexuality. Even while their issues keep them occupied, they unite couples in ‘holy matrimony’ by hook or by crook. Hypocrisy, deceit and lies are perfectly normal and superficial glamour has darkness underneath, which is portrayed in an engaging manner. Giving away too many plot details will ruin the charm of watching the well-scripted drama that has stellar performances from the leading cast (which also includes Kalki Koelchin and Jim Sarbh). Guest actors, too, are noteworthy, with Deepti Naval. Shweta Tripathi, Vijay Raaz, Vikrant Massey and Neena Gupta delivering standout performances.

The officially licensed Indian adaptation of the BBC series Criminal Justice, the Indian Hotstar Specials series with the same title and ten episodes starts off so slowly that the viewer might choose the fast-forward mode.

Thankfully, however, the series becomes engrossing with the passage of time, satisfying the viewer if he/she opts for patience and waits for the story to evolve. Directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia and Vishal Furia, the plot of Criminal Justice hinges on Aditya Sharma (Vikrant Massey), a cabbie who gets into big trouble. He picks up a female passenger (Madhurima Roy), who leaves her cell phone in his taxi. Aditya would be charged with the murder of the girl soon – the turning point in his life.

The series is divided into two parts after Aditya is jailed. One part focuses on the lawyers (played by Mita Vashisht and Pankaj Tripathi, who is brilliant) and the other on how Aditya mutates into a different person during his days in jail. Criminal Justice will be more enjoyable for those who haven’t seen the original. Even if one has watched the original, the series won’t be disappointing – because of fine performances by Tripathi, Massey and Jackie Shroff as Mustafa who mentors Aditya in jail. Roar of the Lion, another Hotstar Specials series, is a perfectly timed release.

The IPL is in full swing, and this five-episode docudrama focuses on MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings, possibly the most talked-about team in the league. More precisely, it is about CSK’s comeback after serving a two-year ban following the notorious spot-fixing scandal. How much does the series reveal? Not much, although it does have some honest glimpses of MSD, who speaks about the impact the episode had on him. That said, the series is an ode to CSK and its comeback, which would fascinate all followers of this hugely popular franchise. If you are a T20 cricket fan, you might want to see Roar of the Lion to watch CSK’s return to glory. That the docudrama has MSD is the high point will excite those viewers who have been enjoying his magnificent return to form lately.