<p>Diwali was quite an eventful time as quite a few major movies released directly across popular streaming platforms during the festive season, giving movie buffs a reason to rejoice. With the ‘Festival of Lights’ behind us, here is a look at whether the biggies were able to deliver the goods in the digital space.</p>.<p><strong>Laxmii (Hindi, Disney+)</strong></p>.<p>Akshay Kumar’s <em>Laxmii </em>opened to thunderous response on the streaming platform despite receiving mixed to negative reviews from most critics. The film, a remake of the Tamil horror-comedy Kanchana, revolved around what happens when a man is possessed by a ‘female spirit’. The cast included Kiara Advani, Tarun Arora and Sharad Kelkar.</p>.<p><strong> Ludo (Hindi, Netflix)</strong></p>.<p>The crime-comedy <em>Ludo</em>, directed by Anurag Basu, received a positive response from the target audience despite not living up to the high standards set by the filmmaker’s previous movies. The film had a stellar cast headlined by Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Bachchan, Rajkummar Rao and Fatima Sana Shaikh.</p>.<p><strong>Chhalaang (Hindi, Amazon Prime Video)</strong></p>.<p>Hansal Mehta and Rajkummar Rao hit the right notes with their latest movie <em>Chhalaang</em>, which received mixed to positive reviews from most critics. A section of the audience, however, felt that the sports-based movie was not as gripping as the duo’s previous movies.</p>.<p><strong>Mookuthi Amman (Tamil, Disney+ Hotstar)</strong></p>.<p>The Nayanthara-starrer emerged as the ‘most-watched’ Tamil movie on Disney+ Hotstar, helping the ace actor add another feather to her cap. The RJ Balaji-helmed movie received above-average reviews with critics praising ‘Thalaivi’ for stealing the show with her stellar performance. </p>.<p><strong>Soorarai Pottru (Tamil, Amazon Prime Video)</strong></p>.<p>Widely regarded as one of the finest films of 2020, <em>Soorarai Pottru</em> emerged as a ‘digital blockbuster’ while receiving rave reviews from all corners. The film, starring Kollywood star Suriya in the lead, was inspired by the life of Air Deccan founder GR Gopinath and revolved around a common man’s inspiring journey. The film was directed by Sudha Kongara and featured Aparna Balamurali as the leading lady.</p>
<p>Diwali was quite an eventful time as quite a few major movies released directly across popular streaming platforms during the festive season, giving movie buffs a reason to rejoice. With the ‘Festival of Lights’ behind us, here is a look at whether the biggies were able to deliver the goods in the digital space.</p>.<p><strong>Laxmii (Hindi, Disney+)</strong></p>.<p>Akshay Kumar’s <em>Laxmii </em>opened to thunderous response on the streaming platform despite receiving mixed to negative reviews from most critics. The film, a remake of the Tamil horror-comedy Kanchana, revolved around what happens when a man is possessed by a ‘female spirit’. The cast included Kiara Advani, Tarun Arora and Sharad Kelkar.</p>.<p><strong> Ludo (Hindi, Netflix)</strong></p>.<p>The crime-comedy <em>Ludo</em>, directed by Anurag Basu, received a positive response from the target audience despite not living up to the high standards set by the filmmaker’s previous movies. The film had a stellar cast headlined by Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Bachchan, Rajkummar Rao and Fatima Sana Shaikh.</p>.<p><strong>Chhalaang (Hindi, Amazon Prime Video)</strong></p>.<p>Hansal Mehta and Rajkummar Rao hit the right notes with their latest movie <em>Chhalaang</em>, which received mixed to positive reviews from most critics. A section of the audience, however, felt that the sports-based movie was not as gripping as the duo’s previous movies.</p>.<p><strong>Mookuthi Amman (Tamil, Disney+ Hotstar)</strong></p>.<p>The Nayanthara-starrer emerged as the ‘most-watched’ Tamil movie on Disney+ Hotstar, helping the ace actor add another feather to her cap. The RJ Balaji-helmed movie received above-average reviews with critics praising ‘Thalaivi’ for stealing the show with her stellar performance. </p>.<p><strong>Soorarai Pottru (Tamil, Amazon Prime Video)</strong></p>.<p>Widely regarded as one of the finest films of 2020, <em>Soorarai Pottru</em> emerged as a ‘digital blockbuster’ while receiving rave reviews from all corners. The film, starring Kollywood star Suriya in the lead, was inspired by the life of Air Deccan founder GR Gopinath and revolved around a common man’s inspiring journey. The film was directed by Sudha Kongara and featured Aparna Balamurali as the leading lady.</p>