Our March watchlist is loaded with powerful women and funny men
Stay home, watch on
Marching into the third month of the year, we have some good news and some, not so. As much as we want to ignore the stats, new strains of the most hated virus are here, and a year of ‘masking’ later, the numbers are spiking yet again. We are inclined to spending more time at home, and naturally, returning to our binge-watching pro max diet. Some are leaning on nostalgia of simpler times and rewatching their favourite shows for the 41st time, while others are itching for new content on their March watchlist.
Now, the good news.
This month is a vault of new shows across genres, with a strong focus on women. Perhaps, that’s a subtle nod to the upcoming Women’s Day next weekend. The only difference: unlike Women’s Day celebrations that are confined to 24 hours, these new shows and movies are here to stay.
On the March watchlist, we found some strong women trying to survive in the big bad workplaces that resemble old boys’ clubs, more Venus inhabitants pushing the envelopes of sexuality, a high-profile public scandal we are aware of, but don’t know much about and a happy-go-lucky bunch of girls who are here are to lift the spirits with some music and lyrics.
No, we haven’t ignored the men altogether. In fact, we found the best kind – the ones that can make us laugh. And we sincerely believe this will ensure you don’t spend more time scrolling through new shows than actually watching them.
The March watchlist celebrates strong women all month long and beyond
Bombay Begums:
Filmmaker Alankrita Shrivastava ventures deeper into her women-centric territory. Set in the eponymous metropolis, five women (Pooja Bhatt, Shahana Goswami, Amruta Subhash, Plabita Borthakur and Aadhya Anand) have set their eyes on their dreams, with tunnel vision.
Whether it’s Rani (Bhatt) the high-profile banker, or Lily, the bar dancer (Subhash), all the ‘begums’ are fighting the common battle of survival in the big city and their lives change when their paths collide – Rani’s car hits Lily’s son in an accident.
PS: Pooja Bhatt will be seen on screen after what feels like ages (No, a cameo in Sadak 2 doesn’t count).
Releases on Netflix on March 8
The Married Woman
Manju Kapur’s novel, The Married Woman, created quite a buzz for exploring a lesbian relationship almost 20 years ago. Since then, major amendments and changes have swept through our country, and the story today seems more palatable for the audience.
Sahir Raza’s adaptation stars Ridhi Dogra as Astha, a Delhi-based young woman who gets married and becomes a mother, and Monica Dogra as Piplika, an independent and eccentric young painter.
When the two meet, sparks fly and the flames are set to burn some existing relationships.
Releases on Alt Balaji on March 8
Allen V Farrow
We aren’t alien to this public scandal: the molestation charges made by Dylan Farrow against her filmmaker stepfather. The series opens with Farrow saying, ““It has taken me a long time to reconcile that you can love somebody and be afraid of them.”
The four-part documentary directed by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering investigates the case against Woody Allen without the help of media, but with a series of first-person accounts from friends and family members who trace the evolution of abuse, and explores what it takes for a survivor to live with abuse.
Marriage or Mortgage
If it was not taxing enough to choose between mountains and beaches for your honeymoon, this Netflix reality show on our March watchlist makes you ugly cry and primal scream as you think of a bigger decision: choose between your dream wedding and your dream house.
Wedding planner Sarah Miller and and real estate agent Nichole Holmes, armed with their most sentimental pitches, convince young couples to give either of them some business. As the couples bicker and break down before deciding where they want to spend their savings on, it gives you a fresh perspective to childhood dreams.
Releases on Netflix on March 10
Country Comfort
From the trailer, creator Caryl Lucas’s musical sit-com appears to be a millennial’s take on Sound of Music set in Nashville. After her career crashes and personal life falls apart, Bailey (Katharine McPhee), an aspiring country singer, is a mess. On a whim, she takes up a job as a nanny for the happy-go-lucky Beau (Eddie Cibrian) and his five children.
She soon gets promoted to the role of a mother figure, learns a great deal about family dynamics while unearthing and nurturing the musical talents of the children. It’s a big, fat house party with LeAnne Rimes playing herself.
Releases on Netflix on March 19
Coming 2 America
It’s been a 33-year-long wait, but as Akeem Joffer of Zamunda (Eddie Murphy) says in the trailer, “Prepare the royal jet. We are going back to America!”
In Craig Brewer’s sequel to 1988 comedy drama, Akeem discovers that he has a son, Lavelle (Jermaine Fowler), in the USA. Akeem is determined to build a relationship with him, bring him back to Zamunda to make him the crown prince. But is the unexpected heir to the throne ready for this development? As the father-son duo forges a new bond, we prepare ourselves for some primal laughter.
Releases on Prime Video on March 5
Yes Day
It might not be a wise idea to cue this pick on our March watchlist with your kids around, lest they scheme you into giving them a ‘Yes Day’. The Miguel Arteta movie is stuff every child’s dreams are made of.
In the movie based on the children’s book by Amy Krouse Rosentha, we meet the Torres. Parents Carlos (Edgar Ramírez) and Allison (Jennifer Garner) spend most of their waking time disciplining and chasing after their kids — Katie (Jenna Ortega), Nando (Julian Lerner), and Ellie (Everly Carganilla). The Torres household is ruled by the ‘No, don’t do this’ regime, until Katie proposes the that the family spend a day together where the parents will say ‘yes’ to everything the kids want.
Of course, the ‘Yes Day’ doesn’t go as planned, but the family comes closer in ways they didn’t imagine.
Releases on Netflix on March 12
Pagglait
How can we grieve? Let us count the ways. And if you’re tired of counting, add this tragicomedy to your watchlist to see an unexpected take on mourning.
Sanya Malhotra essays the character of recently widowed Sandhya. She is struggling to mourn the sudden demise of her husband, and she can’t understand why. As a host of quirky family members expect her to wail and weep all day, she is finding it excruciatingly difficult to even roll out a crocodile tear.
She embarks on a journey of self-discovery to find out if it’s her problem or if there’s more than meets the eye.
Releases on Netflix on March 26