MUMBAI: Life came to a halt when the government announced a nationwide lockdown on 24th March 2020. That was the day when the gates of outdoor entertainment and social gatherings were shut for the foreseeable future, leaving us looking for someone to save the day. Cometh the hour, cometh the OTT platform who became our knights in shining armour to keep everyone entertained and hooked to their screens. Over the last 6 months, these streaming services have been feeding us with fresh and immersive content that we simply can't get enough of. Shining amidst adversity, the medium served as a platform for talented actors and directors to work from the confines of their homes and produce feature films and full-fledged web-series, giving a new definition to the film making process. And the best part about this, each one of them adhered to the safety and hygiene standards by maintaining social distancing at all times.
As time passes, we’re seeing more of these lockdown movies, shot on a shoe-string budget see filmmaking enthusiasts get together and take the internet by storm. So, without any further ado, here’s five movies and shows shot entirely during the lockdown that you certainly should watch to experience creativity at its finest.
Putham Pudham Kaalia – Amazon Prime Video
You can’t ask for more when you have five stellar film makers come together to create an anthology of unique stories all revolving around the same theme. Featuring celebrated directors like Suhasini Mani Ratnam (Coffee, Anyone?), Sudha Kongara (Ilamai Idho Idho), Gautham Vasudev Menon (Avarum Naanum/Avalum Naanum), Rajiv Menon (Reunion) and Karthik Subbaraj (Miracle), one can’t wait to see the magic that unfolds on screen. Releasing on Amazon Prime Video on 16th October this Tamil movie, set against the 3-week lockdown in March, should be definitely your first film to start with. Exploring the emotions of love, hope, dreams, excitement, laughter amongst others, the sheer beauty of this movie is that it has something for everyone.
The Gone Games – Voot
The next on our list of must-watch lockdown movies is this Voot original’s that left everyone impressed by its gripping narrative and a great performance by the ensemble cast. The Gone Game is a crime thriller that successfully utilises the onset and impact of the virus as a crucial plot point, leaving us staring at a puzzling scenario. This masterpiece, directed by Nikhil Bhat, stars talented actors like Sanjay Kapoor, Shweta Tripathi, Shriya Pilgaonkar, and Arjun Mathur who leave behind a performance that stays in our minds for a long time.
CU Soon – Amazon Prime Video
CU Soon by Amazon Prime Video was the first film, shot entirely during the lockdown, to have a direct-to-stream release. A true trendsetter to say the very least. Edited and directed by Mahesh Narayan, the spellbinding drama stars superstar Fahadh Faasil, Roshan Mathew, and Darshana Rajendran in lead roles. The movie revolves around a software engineer from Kerala who helps his Dubai-based cousin find his missing fiancée. The only clue left behind is a video-based suicide note which makes the hunt all the more complicated. Offering one ample food for thought, the movie also gives the viewer an interesting social message that will leave us questioning our social media presence.
Home Stories- Netflix
Netflix India’s Home stories is an anthology of four short films that beautifully captures the essence of ‘life under lockdown’. These short stories featured familiar faces like Arjun Mathur, Apoorva Arora, Veer Rajwant Singh, and many others who left us spellbound with their performances. Directed by Sahirr Sethhi, Anubhuti Kashyap, Tanvi Gandhi and Ashwin Lakshmi Narayan, what one is sure to love is how each of these short stores cover an aspect of the relatively new experience of staying indoors and makes it immensely relatable to what we’re going through on a daily basis.
A viral wedding – Eros Now
A Viral Wedding is a fun and light-hearted story of a couple played by Shreya Dhanwanthary and Amol Parashar whose wedding plans go downhill due to the lockdown and how they make the most of the situation by planning an online wedding. Shreya dons multiple hats of an actor, writer and director of the series and aces each one of them with perfection. With 8 episodes lasting less than 10 minutes each, this comedy drama series is an entertaining ride that will leave you with smiles by the end of it.
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