Top 11 Hollywood and Bollywood movies, OTT series to watch this weekend including Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes

Wondering what to watch this weekend at the UAE cinemas or on your OTT platforms? We have done the leg-work as we bring together our top recommendations for the weekend.

Srikanth (UAE cinemas): In this Hindi-language biopic, National Award-winning Indian actor Rajkummar Rao brings to life the stirring tale of a blind industrialist who doesn’t let his disability define his existence. For those in the dark, Srikanth Bolla was born poor but went on to study at the Massachusetts Institute Of Technology in the United States and built a company worth Dh220 million dirhams in South India. He famously sued an Indian state when they told him it was illegal to study Maths or Science at his secondary school because he was blind. His eventful and inspiring life is being tapped into for this film. Watch this movie if you are a fan of Rao’s compelling performances and are looking for a tale about the resilience and triumph of the human spirit. The movie also features Jyothika and Alaya F in crucial roles.

Kingdom Of the Planet Of The Apes (UAE cinemas): Director Wes Ball takes the expansive ape franchise forward by transporting us several generations from Caesar’s era. The apes have taken on the reins here, while the humans have been relegated to an obscure space. With a new ape ruler rising to power, a young ape embarks on a daunting quest that forces him to confront the very foundations of his reality. His journey leads him to question the past and make choices that hold the key to the futures of both apes and humans. Watch this movie if you are in the mood for some spectacular VFX and an intriguing storyline.

Laapata Ladies (Netflix): Director Kiran Rao makes a smashing comeback after a self-imposed sabbatical of seven years with this charming and fun movie ‘Laapata Ladies’. Set in 2001 rural India, ‘Laapataa Ladies’ – which loosely means Lost Ladies – is that beautifully benign treacle of a cinematic concoction. It’s free of being cloyingly cringe-worthy. It’s one of those feel-good movies that make you want to believe that good things happen to good people. There are no big, bankable stars driving this narrative forward, but that’s what makes it novel and superbly engaging. Relatively fresh talents Nitanshi Goel and Pratibha Ranta play new brides Phool and Pushpa Rani who get married on the same day and find themselves in identical red bridal wear with their husbands on a train heading for their new homes. By a twist of fate, they end up in the wrong homes, triggering an enjoyable satire. There’s feminism, comedy, and great acting here.

Escape (UAE cinemas): A girl’s getaway goes horribly wrong in this action-packed thriller. Ten women, who are abducted and trafficked from their resort, must learn to escape their evil captors. Their survival in the desert depends on whether they stick together through thick and thin.

Perumani (UAE cinemas): This Malayalam-language dramedy focuses on the lives of small-town people who see a bit of action when an outlier, a Bengali, lands in their village. Starring Sunny Wayne and Vinay Forrt, this satire is meant to be a slice-of-life drama featuring characters who are endearing simpletons.

Amelia’s Children (UAE cinemas): Calling all horror movie fans, this one is filled with enough jump scares and eerie twists to keep you hooked. A young man, Edward, goes in search of his biological family in Portugal and reunites with his mother and twin. But soon he realizes that something is just not right and that they are harboring dark secrets.

Elevator (UAE cinemas): Starring the winsome pair, Paolo Avelino and Kylie Verzosa, this slice-of-life film is about a young man who strikes an unusual friendship with a beautiful woman while riding an elevator together. He’s looking for seed money for his business start-up and she’s someone with some clout to make it happen, but they warm up to each other beyond business. Set in Singapore, the movie is a portrait of ambitions, dreams, and bonds that develop among a pair of adorable Overseas Filipino Workers.

Super Rich in Korea (Netflix): There’s vicarious fun to be had in this glossy reality series that chronicles the flamboyant lives of five super-rich people who live in Seoul. The format is similar to the one you see in a ‘Real Housewives’ series or in ‘Bling Empire’ and is all about marveling at their lavish homes, private jets, and snazzy parties. This glamorous wealthy elite may be a minority in this world, but their maximalist existence is still worth watching.

The Family Star (Amazon Prime Video): Vijay Deverakonda and Mrunal Thakur spearhead this Telugu-language romantic comedy. Indu (Thakur) meets the middle-class lad Govardhan (Deverakonda) when she leases the upper floor of his home. But there’s more to Indu than meets the eye. Their relationship, which begins with mutual attraction, descends into dark spaces. While you will balk at the physical violence meted out to Indu by her so-called boyfriend, Govardhan, the movie has enough to keep you engaged.

Lootere (Disney +): Directed by Jai Mehta, this Hindi-language web series is a thrilling cat-and-mouse game between Somali pirates and cruise ship crew. Starring Vivek Gomber and Rajat Kapoor as a conniving businessman and smart ship captain, this series has enough twists to keep you invested. It isn’t formulaic, and its unusual setting in Africa adds to the novel factor.

Star (UAE cinemas): This Tamil-language romantic drama, directed by Elan, stars Kavin as an aspiring actor who dreams of becoming a major star. But becoming a public figure who entertains for a living isn’t easy and ‘Star’ chronicles his obstacle-ridden rise. Kavin is one of Tamil cinema’s most promising stars and it will be interesting to watch his tackle this challenging role.