1. Photograph by Ritesh Batra
When – May 10
Where – Amazon Prime
Cast – Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra
Ritesh Batra film traces the life of a struggling street photographer Rafi (Siddiqui), who persuades Miloni, a shy stranger (Malhotra), to pose as his fiancee when he is being pressured to marry by his grandmother. The two lives intersect in Mumbai and go along together.
2. Jal by Girish Malik
When – May 12
Where – Amazon Prime
Cast – Tannishtha Chatterjee, Saidah Jules, Purab Kohli, Kirti Kulhari
Jal revolves around a young man named Bakka, who is gifted with a special ability to find water in the desert. A European bird-watcher asks the water diviner (Purab Kohli) to help find enough water in the desert to provide a habitat for flamingo chicks.
3. Cake by Asim Abbasi
When – May 15
Where – Netflix India
Cast – Aamina Sheikh, Sanam Saeed, Adnan Malik, Mikaal Zulfiqar
Asim Abbasi’s debut film is a refreshing tale about a pair of sisters reunited around their father’s sickbed in hometown Karachi, one of whom lives in London.
A five-part prologue web series has also been released on YouTube, focusing on the lives of Zara and Adnan in London.
4. Hamid by Aijaz Khan
When – May 15
Where – Netflix India
Cast – Talha Arshad Reshi, Rasika Dugal, Vikas Kumar, Sumit Kaul
Set in Kashmir, Hamid is the story of an eight-year-old boy, who learns that 786 is God’s number and decides to try and reach out to God, by dialling this number. He wants to talk to his father, who his mother tells him has gone to Allah. One fine day, the phone call is answered.
5. Lucifer by Prithviraj Sukumaran
When – May 16
Where – Amazon Prime
Cast – Mohanlal, Vivek Oberoi, Manju Warrier
The film that has been released in three languages – Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu. A political Godfather, who ruled the God’s Own Country, dies and a lot of thieves dressed up as politicians took over the rule. When a question arises on the replacement of the ‘God’, just one name emerges; ‘Stephen Nedumbally’.