OTT releases this week: Balti, Weapons, The Night Manager 2 and more

A busy week of streaming brings action sequels, chilling thrillers, historical dramas and binge-ready series across Netflix, JioHotstar, Prime Video, SonyLIV and ZEE5. Here is a detailed look at everything arriving on major platforms.

Akhanda 2: Thaandavam

The sequel sees Nandamuri Balakrishna return as Akhanda Rudra Sikandar Aghora, this time confronting a biological threat targeting the Maha Kumbh Mela. The film – which lands on Netflix on 9 January – blends mythology, political stakes and full-scale action as the spiritual warrior stands as the last defence between order and devastation.

People We Meet on Vacation

Based on Emily Henry’s bestselling novel, this romantic comedy reaches Netflix on 9 January. The film follows polar-opposite friends Poppy and Alex as they blur the line between friendship and romance while navigating upheavals in their personal lives.

De De Pyaar De 2

Ajay Devgn and Rakul Preet Singh return in this follow-up to the 2019 hit, releasing on Netflix on 9 January. The sequel shifts the story to India as Ashish and Ayesha attempt to win the approval of her progressive Punjabi family, with R Madhavan, Gautami Kapoor and Meezaan Jafri joining the cast.

Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web

Emraan Hashmi leads this crime-thriller series as Arjun Meena, a meticulous customs officer tracking illicit trade across airports and international routes. The web series, arriving on Netflix on 14 January, explores the hidden machinery of smuggling and the officers fighting to contain it.

Speak No Evil

James McAvoy delivers one of his most unsettling roles in this psychological thriller that debuts on Netflix on 13 January. Scoot McNairy and Mackenzie Davis star as a couple who befriend seemingly pleasant holiday acquaintances, only to discover the disturbing reality behind their charm.

His & Hers

The mystery thriller, based on Alice Feeney’s novel, drops on Netflix on 8 January. The series follows an estranged detective and a struggling reporter –on that could resurrect their careers but threatens to expose dangerous secrets.

The Rookie (Season 8)

The new season, streaming on Netflix from 8 January, sends John Nolan and his LAPD team to Prague for an international operation with the FBI and Interpol. Back home, the show expands Tim Bradford’s family arc and continues the Chenford storyline across 18 back-to-back episodes.

Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials

Mia McKenna-Bruce stars as Lady Eileen ‘Bundle’ Brent, who sets out to uncover the truth behind a suspicious death at an elite gathering. The film – streaming on Netflix from 15 January – offers a modern reinterpretation of Christie’s intrigue-filled world.

Weapons

Zach Cregger’s horror drama arrives on JioHotstar on 8 January, tracing the disappearance of 17 schoolchildren from the same class in one night. As the town spirals into fear, unsettling truths begin to surface.

The Hunting Party (Season 2)

The series returns on JioHotstar on 9 January as former FBI agent Bex Henderson works to revive the covert Intimate Recovery Task Force. The season delves deeper into secret prison experiments and the consequences of the programme’s controversial “graduation” system.

A Thousand Blows (Season 2)

Steven Knight’s period drama resumes on 9 January on JioHotstar, following Mary Carr and her all-women crime syndicate, the Forty Elephants. As new threats emerge in London’s underground boxing world, she must form uneasy alliances to keep the gang together.

Girl Taken

This true-crime feature arrives on JioHotstar on 9 January, charting the devastating aftermath of a child abduction and the relentless search for answers.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

The concluding chapter of the beloved franchise premieres on JioHotstar on 12 January, bringing closure to the Crawley family saga with a final, emotionally charged send-off.

The Pitt (Season 2)

Beginning 10 months after the previous finale, the new season – streaming on JioHotstar from 8 January – centres on Dr Robby Robinavitch and colleagues navigating the US Independence Day rush. The return of Dr Jack Langdon, now post-rehab, sets up new tensions inside the hospital.

Tron: Ares

Jared Leto stars as Ares, an AI assassin sent into the real world to retrieve the Permanence Code – a breakthrough that could allow digital entities to exist physically. The film, out on JioHotstar since 7 January, charts Ares’ awakening humanity and a battle that threatens both dimensions.

Balti

The Malayalam-Tamil bilingual sports action drama premieres on Prime Video on 9 January. The story follows four kabaddi champions whose tight-knit bond fractures as personal rivalries and violent feuds erupt.

The Night Manager (Season 2)

Tom Hiddleston returns as Jonathan Pine in the long-awaited second season, streaming on Prime Video from 11 January. Pulled back into intelligence work, Pine confronts a new global arms crisis while wrestling with the dangerous double life he thought he had left behind.

Beast Games (Season 2)

The reality competition – featuring nearly 1,000 participants vying for a $5 million prize – continues with new episodes on Prime Video from 7 January. Inspired partly by ‘Squid Game’, the challenges escalate under MrBeast’s signature high-stakes format.

Freedom at Midnight (Season 2)

The historical drama returns to SonyLIV on 9 January to explore the turbulent months after independence. Season 2 revisits the challenges of creating a new nation amid political unrest and the trauma of Partition.

Mask

This thriller, landing on ZEE5 on 8 January, follows a volatile clash involving a mastermind, a deceitful partner and an unpredictable rogue – all racing against a seven-day deadline to recover Rs 440 crore.