October is packed with festivals, public holidays, and new films and shows vying for attention. Here is a selection of the titles that will be out in in the first week of October in cinemas and on streaming platforms.
All release dates are subject to change.
Idli Kadai
October 1, Tamil, in cinemas
Dhanush directs, produces and stars in a family drama about the clash between a hotel owner and an idli maker. The film also stars Nithya Menen, Rajkiran, Arun Vijay, Shalini Pandey and Sathyaraj.
Play Dirty
October 1, English, on Prime Video
A seasoned thief goes up against the New York Mafia, a dictator and a billionaire. Shane Black’s crime comedy stars Mark Wahlberg, LaKeith Stanfield, Rosa Salazar, Keegan-Michael Key and Tony Shalhoub.
13th: Some Lessons Aren’t Taught In Classrooms
October 1, Hindi, on Sony LIV
Abhishek Dhandharia’s show, written by Sameer Mishra and directed by Nishil Sheth, is inspired by educator Mohit Tyagi’s experiences. The series looks at Ritesh (Paresh Pahuja), who chucks a career as a venture capitalist to start an ed tech company along with his teacher (Gagan Dev Riar).
Presence
October 1, English, Lionsgate Play
In Steven Soderbergh’s horror thriller, a family moves into a house that appears to already have somebody living there. The film, in which the camera represents the ghost, stars Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Eddy Maday and Julia Fox.
Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari
October 2, Hindi, in cinemas
Sunny (Varun Dhawan) and Tulsi (Janhvi Kapoor) pretend to be a couple to get back at their exes (Sanya Malhotra and Rohit Saraf), who are marrying each other. Shashank Khaitan’s romantic comedy, his first film since the direct-to-streamer Govinda Naam Mera (2022), also stars Maniesh Paul, Akshay Oberoi and Abhinav Sharma.
Kantara: Chapter 1
October 2, Kannada and other languages, in cinemas
Rishab Shetty directs and stars in the prequel to his 2022 blockbuster Kantara. The new movie is set centuries ago and explores the roots of the Bhoota Kola tradition.
Shetty plays Berme, who clashes with the tyrannical ruler Kulashekara (Gulshan Devaiah). The cast includes Rukmini Vasanth as Berme’s lover, Jayaram, Prakash Thuminad and Pramod Shetty.
The Game: You Never Play Alone
October 2, Tamil, on Netflix
In the series directed by Rajesh M Selva and written by Deepthi Govindarajan, a gaming developer (Shraddha Srinath) finds her personal life unravelling when the line between the real and virtual worlds is blurred. The show also stars Santhosh Prathap, Chandini, Syama Harini, Bala Hasan, Subash Selvam, Viviya Santh, Dheeraj and Hema.
Vada Paav
October 2, Marathi, in cinemas
In Prasad Oak’s film, young lovers face opposition from their respective families. The film stars Oak alongside Gauri Nalawade, Abhinay Berde, Ritika Shrotri, Savita Prabhune, Rasika Vengurlekar, Siddharth Salvi, Shalva Kinjawdekar and Ashwini Kinhikar.
Avatar: The Way of Water
October 2, English, in cinemas
Ahead of the December 19 release of James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash, the preceding film – the second in the Avatar series – will be re-released in cinemas. The Way of Water (2022) is set a decade after the events of Avatar (2009). Na’vi initiate Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), his partner Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and their children battle colonisers on Pandora with the help of an amphibious clan.
Monster: The Ed Gein Story
October 3, English, on Netflix
The American serial killer Ed Gein inspired characters in the films Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Silence of the Lambs. A Netflix series provides a fictionalised account of Gein’s grisly beginnings.
The series by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan stars Charlie Hunnam as Gein, Laurie Metcalf as Gein’s mother Augusta, Tom Hollander as Psycho director Alfred Hitchcock, Olivia Williams as Hitchcock’s wife Alma Reville and Joey Pollari as Anthony Perkins, the actor who starred as Norman Bates in Psycho.
The Lost Bus
October 3, English, on Apple TV+
Paul Greengrass’s survival drama stars Matthew McConaughey as a bus driver who steers a group of children and their teacher (America Ferrera) to safety through one of California’s deadly wildfires.
The New Force
October 3, Swedish, on Netflix
The series The New Force is set in 1958, the year that Sweden’s first female police officers graduate into a world that is not yet ready for them.
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