Best of 2023 on OTT: From Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai, Bawaal to Lust Stories 2, popular streaming movies that deserve a watch

From action thriller to rom-com movies, the year 2023 saw some of the exciting releases on OTT giants like Netflix, Disney+Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video and Jio Cinema. Here is the list of popular OTT movies that the audience loved and became popular. 

Kathal: Written by Ashok Mishra and directed by Yashowardhan Mishra, Kathal is a comedy-drama that takes satire on the government system over missing jackfruit. It features Sanya Malhotra, Anant V Joshi, Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Yadav, Brijendra Kala, Neha Saraf and Raghubir Yadav in prominent roles. The film was released on May 19, 2023 via Netflix.

Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai: The legal drama film directed by Apoorv Singh Karki starring Manoj Bajpayee became highly acclaimed for its realistic and sensitive narrative. It is inspired by the true events of a five-year-long standalone fight of a regular session court lawyer Adv. PC Solanki.

Bawaal: Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Bawaal is about a history teacher who goes through a character transformation as he imagines some of the defining moments and locations of World War II. Though the film, also starring Janhvi Kapoor, stirred controversy, but also received critical appreciation.

Jaane Jaan: The Netflix film starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, Vijay Varma and Jaideep Ahlawat is an adaptation of the 2005 Japanese novel The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino. The action thriller received positive reviews from the film critics with particular praise directed towards the performance of the main cast.

Lust Stories 2: The anthology film is the second installment of Lust Stories, consisting of four short film segments directed by R. Balki, Konkona Sen Sharma, Amit Ravindernath Sharma and Sujoy Ghosh. The film opened to mixed reviews, however, Konkana's story was appreciated for being complex and satisfying. Also, Amit’s twisted climax in his short film was lauded.

Tarla: The biopic on Indian chef and cookbook author Tarla Dalal, the ZEE5 original film features Huma Qureshi in the titular role. Directed by Piyush Gupta, the film served up a decent cinematic treat and received mixed reactions.

The Archies: Zoya Akhtar’s musical drama set in the 1960s is based on the American comic of the same name. Featuring Suhana Khan, Agastya Nanda, Khushi Kapoor, Yuvraj Menda, Mihir Ahuja, Dot and Vedang Raina, the film evoked nostalgia despite being pat and predictable.

Khufiya: The spy thriller is based on Amar Bhushan's espionage novel Escape to Nowhere, starring Tabu, Ali Fazal and Wamiqa Gabbi. The movie delivers tense and cutting narratives and majorly received positive reviews.