Weekend watchlist: 10 TV shows and movies to check out

‘Vikram Vedha’ (UAE cinemas): Saif Ali Khan and Hrithik Roshan hit it out of the park with this new action thriller. Khan plays Vikram, an honest police officer who is hunting down the gangster Vedha. When Vedha surrenders to him, Vikram’s perception of good and evil starts to change.

‘Ponniyin Selvan - Part 1’ (UAE cinemas): Mani Ratnam’s latest movie masterpiece is set in the ancient Chola empire and features an all-star cast including Trisha, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Vikram, Karthi, Jayam Ravi and Shobita Dhulilpala.

‘Naane Varuven’ (UAE cinemas): South Indian star Dhanush plays a double role in this intriguing movie. He plays Prabhu and Kathir, twin brothers who are separated. Later, a happily married Prabhu faces paranormal issues at home that are impacting his daughter Sathya.

‘Blonde’ (Netflix): Ana de Armas steps into the shoes of late actress Marilyn Monroe for a fictionalised biopic that is raw and tragic. It follows her beginnings as Norma Jeane Mortenson, and her journey to become of the biggest stars in Hollywood until her death from a drug overdose.

‘Hush Hush’ (Amazon Prime Video): Juhi Chawla, Ayesha Jhulka and Soha Ali Khan are part of an all-female lead cast in this dark murder mystery. After a dangerous encounter at a party, four friends find themselves hurling down a rabbit hole of lies, deceit and secrets.

‘A Tale Dark and Grimm’ (Netflix): New takes on old tales are generally worth a watch, especially if they take dark turns. In this animated series, Hansel and Gretel run away from home — and along their journey to find a place where they belong, they encounter a number of strange and chilling surprises. This is a fairytale with bite.

‘Fantasy Island’ (Netflix): A group of strangers find themselves ferried to an island in the middle of nowhere, a place where their dreams are made true. Of course, soon it all goes south and now they are in stuck in a seemingly endless nightmare — will anyone make it out alive?

‘Wish Dragon’ (Netflix): There are quite a lot of similarities between ‘Wish Dragon’ and ‘Aladdin’ — love story, check; status difference, check; magical all-powerful creature who grants three wishes, check; evil people after the hero, check. But it’s a sort of modern day retelling. Teenager Din, who is — you guessed it — broke, really wants to reconnect with his childhood best friend, who has gone on to become a celebrity when he comes across a tea pot with a magic dragon who grants wishes. The only thing is, he’s also got a bunch of goons trying to get their hands on the magical item.

‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ (Disney+): When a mysterious girl who is in Doctor Strange’s dream turns up in real time, pursued by monsters and claiming the ability to travel through the multiverse, Strange goes into hyper drive to save her from the fiercest foes he has ever encountered.

‘Modern Love Hyderabad’ (Amazon Prime Video): This Telugu series set in India explores the various facets of love – the good, the bad and the (sometimes) ugly.