This weekend’s streaming lineup spans bold anthologies, action thrillers and historical dramas. Lust Stories 3 returns on Netflix with four new tales of desire and marriage, directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, Kiran Rao, Shakun Batra and Vishal Bhardwaj, featuring a star ensemble. Regional titles like Thudakkam and Irumudi add emotional stakes, while The Scandal and Best of the Best explore power, seduction and ambition.
The string of long weekends might be over, but the string of weekend new releases shows no sign of slowing down. On one hand, of course, there's Lust Stories, returning for a third run with Vikramaditya Motwane, Kiran Rao, Shakun Batra and Vishal Bhardwaj directing the episodes. Then there's a K-drama, The Scandal, which adapts Les Liaisons Dangereuses into the Joseon era. There's also Vismaya Mohanlal's debut in Thudakkam. Read on to find more OTT releases to binge this weekend.
The Emmy-nominated anthology returns with four new stories about desire, marriage, loneliness and the complicated ways people navigate intimacy. Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, Kiran Rao, Shakun Batra and Vishal Bhardwaj, the third instalment brings together Radhika Apte, Konkona Sen Sharma, Aditi Rao Hydari, Radhika Madan, Sana Thampi, Vijay Varma, Abhishek Banerjee, Siddharth, Ali Fazal and Gurfateh Pirzada. Across the four segments, the characters confront what they want, what they suppress and what happens when desire collides with the realities of long-term relationships.
Where to watch: Netflix
Vismaya Mohanlal makes her acting debut as Meenu in Thudakkam, a Malayalam action thriller set in the hills of Idukki. Meenu is a young woman living with her father (Sai Kumar) who appears to lead an ordinary life until an encounter with a contract killer (Ashish Joe Antony). Meenu must now draw on her martial-arts training to survive and protect her family.
Where to watch: Jiohotstar
Irumudi follows Trinadh Rama Kasu (Ravi Teja), an alcoholic father whose relationship with his young daughter Manemma (Baby Nakshatra) becomes the centre of his life after she asks him to undertake the sacred Ayyappa Deeksha. However, Manemma is kidnapped after she discovers that girls in their community are being exploited, and now Trinadh is forced to abandon his attempts at rebuilding his own life and begin searching for her.
Where to watch: Netflix
Set during the Joseon era, The Scandal follows Lady Cho (Son Ye-jin), an ambitious noblewoman frustrated by the restrictions placed on women, and her wealthy relative and notorious playboy, Cho Won (Ji Chang-wook). The two enter a dangerous wager involving Hui-yeon (Nana), a virtuous young widow who has chosen to remain devoted to chastity. Lady Cho challenges Cho Won to seduce Hui-yeon, while he counters by challenging her to win over another man, turning their arrangement into a contest of manipulation and desire.
Where to watch: Netflix
Maya (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) and Anjali (Priyanka Kedia) are childhood best friends who join UCLA, but college quickly tests their friendship. The two join the university's competitive Bollywood-fusion dance team, hoping to make it all the way to the US championship. However, their enthusiasm soon runs into the team's existing hierarchy, particularly when their ideas and ambitions clash with the people already running the group.
Where to watch: Netflix