Top ten Hollywood and Bollywood films and shows to watch this long weekend, including 'Voy! Voy! Voy!'

Voy! Voy! Voy! (UAE cinemas): Directed by Omar Hilal, this Arabic comedy is Egypt’s official selection to the Oscars. This satire on illegal immigration shines the spotlight on the wicked Hassan, a security guard who dreams of migrating to Europe — by hook or by crook. Hilal takes a complex issue like immigration and turns it on its head and brings an entertaining story of a man who goes to great lengths to migrate in search of greener pastures. High on wit and entertaining twists, this film is based on a real-life incident where a few men pretend to be blind and join a visually impaired football team so that they can land in Europe for a match. It’s a bizarre scenario, but they pulled off that con. This film, which dramatises the outlandish real-life scenario, will entertain and provoke.

Kannur Squad (UAE cinemas): This Malayalam thriller dwells on a squad of four police officers who embark on this undercover India-wide hunt for a brutal murderer. A-lister Mammootty plays law-enforcement officer ASI George Martin, who leads this complex investigation and is determined to nab the elusive bad guy. But his bosses aren’t as convinced and aren’t happy with the progress his team is making under his mentorship. However, he doesn’t relent even when they ask him to give up the search. This film will appeal to all those die-hard Mammootty fans who have been missing his onscreen larger-than-life, macho, yet endearing, histrionics.

Fukrey 3 (UAE cinemas): Lovable losers Hunny (Pulkit Samrat), Choocha (Varun Sharma) and Lali (Manjot Singh) are back in action in the third instalment of the Fukrey franchise. While actor Ali Fazal will be missing in action, his wife and actress Richa Chadha, as the fierce Bholi Punjaban, will return in a more potent role. The last we saw, she was rotting in jail but imagine a world where she’s contesting the elections and Delhi could be under her grey grips. But she won’t have a free reign if the hustler trio can help it. The template of this absurd comedy of errors with three young guys making terrible decisions in life can never get old. Watch this if you are a 'Fukrey' fan. High on wit, humour, and punchy dialogues, ‘Fukrey 3’ can be your whacky ride for the weekend.

Iraivan (UAE Cinemas): After a long time, we have a Tamil murder mystery delivering genuine chills. ‘Iraivan’, boasting of an impressive star cast of ‘Jayam’ Ravi, Nayanthara, Rahul Bose, Narain and Ashish Vidyarthi, is directed by I Ahamed, who previously made the stirring ‘Manithan’ and the romantic comedy ‘Endrendrum Punnagai’. Rahul Bose makes a memorable return to Tamil cinema, as the antagonist once again, after ‘Viswaroopam’ 1 and 2. And as a psycho killer in the metropolis of Chennai, he gets a well-written role that he sinks his teeth into with gusto. At the other end are Ravi and Narain, who are on the hunt for the man terrorising innocent women. Ravi believes criminals must be dealt with outside the framework of the law and that puts him at odds with Narain. Will that affect the relationship with his sweetheart, Nayanthara? Head to the nearest theatre to find out.

Chandramukhi 2 (UAE Cinemas): ‘Chandramukhi’ (2005), starring Rajinkanth, Jyothika, Prabhu and Vadivelu, turned out to be a blockbuster that imprinted itself on Tamil pop culture and revived the superstar’s career. Nearly two decades later, P Vasu, who directed the original, returns with a sequel, this time with Raghava Lawrence, an actor-choreographer and a self-proclaimed Rajini fan, in the lead, and a similar plot. Expect themes such as a haunted house, spirits of a bygone era and gags from Vadivelu, whose comedy track from the original was the stuff of legend. Kangana Ranaut plays a key role in the movie, whose cast is rounded by Mahima Nambiar, Lakshmi Menon, Radhika Sarathkumar and Suresh Menon. MM Keeravaani, who won an Oscar for best original song (‘RRR’) this year, composes the music for ‘Chandramukhi 2’.

Expend4bles (UAE Cinemas): The initial reviews for this action entertainer, headlined by Sylvester Stallone, may have been harsh. But we would urge you to look past it, especially if you love pure action and stunts by the dozen. After all, this elite group of mercenaries and their exploits in their first three instalments of this action movie franchise, which starred the who’s who of Hollywood actioners — Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Statham, Liam Hemsworth, Antonio Banderas and Jet Li — left us asking for more. Part 4 of this franchise boasts of an ensemble cast once again, and here too, the ‘expendables’ must pull off a daring task: stop an extremist organisation from smuggling nuclear warheads that will ignite a World War. This time, Stallone and Co. have company from Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran and the inimitable Andy Garcia. Perhaps, that should be reason enough to watch this movie on the big screen.

Retribution (UAE Cinemas): Liam Neeson and action entertainers go hand-in-hand, with the actor carving out a niche for himself in this genre. Think Neeson, and his roles in the ‘Taken’ and Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight’ movie franchises come readily to mind. And viewers can go in with similar expectations for this movie too. Neeson plays a banker in Berlin, happily married and with two kids. While setting out with his kids one morning in his car, he receives an anonymous call that the vehicle will explode if any of them attempt to disembark. A remake of the 2015 Spanish film, ‘El Desconocido’, ‘Retribution’ promises to put you on the edge of your seat and forget that you carried popcorn into the movie hall. Reviews have praised performances by Neeson and the rest of the supporting cast. We reckon you cannot give this one the miss.

The Vaccine War (UAE Cinemas): The Vivek Agnihotri directorial, playing in UAE cinemas, takes us back to the struggles that the medical sector faced during the pandemic. With Nana Patekar in the lead, ‘The Vaccine War’ is being marketed as India’s first bio-science film as it follows the development of a vaccine during the pandemic in India. The cast of the movie has done an outstanding job in portraying the raw emotions and struggles of all those involved. Be prepared to go on a rollercoaster journey of emotions as you relive the pandemic.

Ahsoka (Disney Plus): This one’s for the many ardent Star Wars fans who’d like to be swept away by a wave of nostalgia. The latest instalment in the Star Wars universe is the story of Ahsoka Tano, which is currently streaming on Disney+. Despite its slow start, the show does pick up later. The spot-on cinematography and clear-cut action sequences are good enough to keep you hooked. But wait… there are some diehard fans who think this is the worst in the series, while some others are just happy that Star Wars is back…. Take your pick.

My Liberation Notes (Netflix): This slice-of-life Korean drama, written by Hae-yeong Park, follows the lives of three siblings who are bored with their monotonous adult lives and want to make it more interesting and enjoyable. This drama is unlike your usual K-drama plots and exposes very real aspects of a person’s life that are often not spoken about. It is the perfect watch for people in their 20s and 30s who are feeling lost and overwhelmed with life. The simple storyline and comforting characters are enough to fill your weekend with some peace and consolation — that you are not alone.