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Streaming Video News: December 18, 2025

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I updated my list of Bollywood movies on Amazon Prime with today’s premiere of Season 4 of the Hindi series Four More Shots Please!. Earlier this week, the Maddock Horror Universe vampire flick Thamma started streaming on Prime.

I also updated my list of Bollywood movies on Netflix with today’s debut of the Telugu film Premante. Here’s where we stand with all the Yash Raj Films titles added for the “Holiday Season” event that runs through December 27:

December 11: Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi (2002) & Mujhse Dosti Karoge! (2002)
December 12: Bewakoofiyaan (2014) & Mere Dad Ki Maruthi (2013)
December 13: Bank Chor (2017) & Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! (2015)
December 14: Kabul Express (2006) & Tashan (2008)
December 15: Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (2007) & Sui Dhaaga: Made in India (2018)
December 16: Daawat-e-Ishq (2014) & Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011)
December 17: Qaidi Band (2017) & Titli (2014)
December 18: Aurangzeb (2013) & Thugs of Hindostan (2018)

The Netflix Original movie sequel Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders premieres on Friday, followed by Season 4 of The Great Indian Kapil Show on Saturday, with first guest Priyanka Chopra Jonas.

My list of Bollywood movies on Hulu got an update today with two new series: Madhuri Dixit’s Hindi show Mrs. Deshpande (also in Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu) and the Malayalam series Pharma (also in Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu).

After posting a review of Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders on Friday, I’m going to take some time off for the holidays. I’ll try to update the three main streaming pages with new additions, but I’ll do so sporadically. Here’s a calendar of some of the films and shows coming to streaming over the next couple of weeks (including the few we know from the rest of the YRF Holiday Season event):

December 22: Aaha Kalyanam (Tamil) on Netflix
December 25: Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat on ZEE5
December 26: Ek Tha Tiger, Hichki, Sultan, & Tiger Zinda Hai on Netflix
January 1, 2026: LBW: Love Beyond Wicket, Season 1 (Tamil) on Hulu

If you want to know what’s coming even further out, please check out my GIANT preview of the new Indian Original movies and series coming to Netflix in 2026 (and beyond). I love putting this together for What’s on Netflix every year, and it’s full of a ton of great information.

Thanks as always for another wonderful year at Access Bollywood. Special thanks to those of you who contributed via PayPal and Venmo. Your support means so much and helps keep this site going strong. Best wishes for a healthy holiday season and a happy new year! — Kathy

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YRF Movies Return to Netflix

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After almost a decade on Amazon Prime, the Yash Raj Films catalogue is back on Netflix — sort of. The seven movies that released from 2021-2023 are still on Prime for now, and only a handful of YRF movies are currently available on Netflix. Here’s why.

Netflix and YRF announced that are making the reintroduction of the back catalogue into a series of events, adding movies around a theme a few at a time. Besides the addition of War to augment the recently added War 2, the first theme was a celebration of Shah Rukh Khan’s birthday (November 2). The following films were added to Netflix on November 1:

There are at least seven more themed events to come through the end of 2025 and into early 2026. YRF and Netflix didn’t specify all the titles being added for every event. December’s Holiday Season event is especially busy, with two new films added each day from December 12-28.

I actually like this idea, as it draws attention to titles that folks may have forgotten about or missed when they initially released. It would be easy to overlook the individual titles if the whole 70-ish catalogue was added at once, so it’s nice to give different films the spotlight. These are ready-made marathons are kinda cool.

Here’s the schedule that’s been announced, with dates and themes. Note that the dates announced are for midnight in India, so we may actually get them in the United States on the afternoon of the day before. (Being able to watch a Dhoom marathon on Thanksgiving would kick ass.) Where possible, I’ve added links to the old Netflix catalogue entries from 2015 so you can add the movies to your “Remind Me” queue, if you wish. At the very bottom, I’ve added any of the other YRF titles I still have working links for that weren’t mentioned in the above press release.

November 13 — Classic YRF

November 28 — The Dhoom trilogy

December 5 — Ranveer Singh’s 15-year anniversary

December 12-28 — Holiday Season (two new films per day)

  • Bunty Aur Babli (2005)
  • Hum Tum (2004)
  • Mujhse Dosti Karoge (2002)
  • Ta Ra Rum Pum (2007)
  • Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic (2008) — ★★½

December 27 — Salman Khan’s birthday

January 22, 2026 — Mardaani franchise

February 7, 2026  — Valentine’s Day (8 films total)

  • Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008) — ★★★★
  • Ishaqzaade (2012) — ★★★½
  • Saathiya (2002)
  • Salaam Namaste (2005)

Other YRF movies with links but no release date yet:

What do you think of this release strategy? Do you like this mini-events, or would you rather have the whole catalogue available at once?

Movie Review: Tiger 3 (2023)

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2.5 Stars (out of 4)

Watch Tiger 3 on Amazon Prime

The latest entry in Salman Khan’s Tiger action franchise, Tiger 3, is in keeping with the two previous films, both in terms of quality and theme. What’s new is that the announcement of the YRF Spy Universe — which happened a few years after the second Tiger film, 2017’s Tiger Zinda Hai — means that Tiger 3 features a cameo by Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan and a preview of what’s next for Hrithik Roshan’s Kabir from War.

Tiger 3 picks up with the semi-rogue Indian spy Tiger (Khan) on a mission to rescue fellow RAW agent Gopi (Ranvir Shorey, from Ek Tha Tiger) in Afghanistan. With his dying breath, Gopi reveals that Tiger’s wife — semi-rogue Pakistani spy Zoya (Katrina Kaif) — is working with a terrorist outfit.

Tiger is surprisingly quick to believe his friend over his wife, but Gopi’s intel is partly correct. Zoya is being blackmailed by her former mentor and ex-deputy director of Pakistan’s intelligence agency, Aatish Rehman (Emraan Hashmi). Rehman has a vendetta against Tiger and Zoya, and he poisons their son Junior (Sartaaj Kakkar) to get them to do his bidding.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Irani (Simran) has proposed demilitarization talks with India, and Rehman is determined to stop the talks and seize control of Pakistan’s government for himself. He forces Tiger and Zoya to steal nuclear codes in exchange for the antidote for Junior. The married spies are rendered traitors in the eyes of the nations they love.

The screenplay relies heavily on news broadcasts to convey information, so seemingly everyone around the globe knows secret agent Tiger’s identity. This is extra weird since it’s very easy to disguise one’s self in this world. Zoya fist-fights Tiger while he’s dressed like a roadie for Lynyrd Skynyrd, and she doesn’t recognize him until he pulls off his fake beard.

As in previous Tiger films, Zoya’s action scenes are the highlights. This includes the bathhouse towel fight sequence that featured prominently in the movie’s trailer. In the film, the bathhouse scene is intercut with shots of Tiger rappelling down a clock tower, which blunts some of the effect of the towel fight (perhaps deliberately — the franchise is named after Tiger, not Zoya, after all).

Tiger’s action scenes are fine, but they lack the dynamism that Kaif brings to Zoya. Further, the cameo by Shah Rukh Khan’s wisecracking Pathaan emphasizes just how little there is to Tiger’s personality. This is a franchise that relies on the audience’s pre-existing affection for the leading man.

As in Tiger Zinda Hai, Junior exists when the plot needs him to, then disappears. Tiger 3 even introduces another surrogate son character in the second half of the film who likewise appears on-screen until his plot utility runs out.

What Tiger 3 does have going for it that earlier films didn’t is a compelling villain in Aatish Rehman, played with great presence by Hashmi. Rehman puts Tiger and Zoya in seemingly impossible situations, keeping the tension high throughout.

Perhaps the biggest selling point of the Tiger franchise is its dedication to the idea that peace between India and Pakistan is a worthwhile goal. Across all three movies, Tiger, Zoya, and their teams work together to save lives and prevent war. It’s a welcome respite from the violent nationalism that pervades so many Hindi action films these days.

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Movie Review: Pathaan (2023)

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3 Stars (out of 4)

This is a review of the Extended Edition of Pathaan playing on Amazon Prime

Pathaan delivers exactly what you’d expect from a blockbuster action entertainer starring Shah Rukh Khan as a super spy. The newest entry into the Yash Raj Films “Spy Universe” of pictures — which also includes Ek Tha Tiger, its sequel, and War — features Khan as the title character. He goes by a nickname given to him by Afghani villagers he saved from a missile decades earlier when he was simply a soldier, before he started working in intelligence.

Pathaan founded a special sub-unit within RAW consisting of fellow soldiers previously deemed too damaged emotionally or physically to continue working in the armed forces. With a renewed sense of purpose, the members of the JOCR (pronounced “joker”) unit embark upon India’s most dangerous covert missions.

JOCR’s main enemy is Jim (John Abraham), the former partner of Hrithik Roshan’s character Kabir in War. After being betrayed by the Indian government, Jim commands a team of mercenaries contracted by a Pakistani general to retaliate against India for revoking Kashmir’s special status. Jim is more than happy for the chance to get his revenge.

In a movie that is blatantly patriotic, Jim’s status as a former Indian soldier and spy makes him a more compelling villain than if he was just a random foreign adversary with a grudge. Jim forces Pathaan to consider whether the country that he loves really loves him back and raises the question as to what a nation owes its soldiers in return for their sacrifice. It’s a thoughtful counterpoint to the many blindly patriotic films released these days.

It helps that John Abraham plays Jim as a fun and charismatic villain.

During Pathaan’s quest to stop Jim’s dastardly plan, he is both helped and hindered by Rubia (Deepika Padukone), a Pakistani agent working undercover as one of Jim’s lackeys. For evidence that Pathaan is not a movie grounded in gritty realism, one need look no further than Rubia’s spy wardrobe, which consists mostly of bustiers and swimwear. Even her flight suit shows cleavage.

Pathaan‘s periodically goofy tone requires a certain amount of buy-in, but this is a movie made for an audience already fond of its leading man. Instead of simply saying, “Ow,” when he’s punched, Pathaan whines “Ow ow ow,” evoking memories of some of the less macho heroes Khan has played in the past. You’re never not aware that you are watching Shah Rukh Khan, but that’s part of the fun.

In terms of action, Pathaan is at its best during scenes of close-quarters fighting, as when Pathaan is introduced or when he’s aided by a special guest while on a prison transport train. The larger scale set pieces — which involve innumerable helicopters — are not as impressive, but that’s less of a commentary on their quality but a factor of CGI-fatigue. Even the most novel computer-generated sequences look like the weightless, manufactured stunts they are at this point (and that goes for most Hollywood action blockbusters as well).

Since suspension of disbelief is such a big part of Pathaan, it’s best just to enjoy the film for what it is. The cast looks hot, the dance sequences are sexy, and good triumphs over evil — not a bad way to spend a couple of hours.

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Bollywood Box Office: December 22-24, 2017

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Tiger Zinda Hai debuted with the third best opening weekend of the year for a Hindi film in North America, trailing behind only Baahubali 2 and Raees. From December 22-24, 2017, Tiger Zinda Hai earned $1,658,514 from 328 theaters* ($5,056 average; adjusted average of $5,528 from 300 theaters). 143 Cinema reports that the Salman Khan-Katrina Kaif action sequel earned an additional $1,231,481 from Christmas Day and Boxing Day, pushing its total past $3 million in the US and Canada (based on 143 Cinema’s slightly higher reported weekend earnings for the film). It’s certainly already surpassed the lifetime total of 2012’s Ek Tha Tiger ($2,347,774). Within days, Tiger Zinda Hai will have passed Raees‘s total earnings of $3,631,911, claiming second place for the year overall and moving into first place for films released only in Hindi (as opposed to the multi-lingual Baahubali 2).

Other Hindi movies still showing in North American theaters:

  • Fukrey Returns: Week 3; $10,106 from nine theaters; $1,123 average; $381,522 total
  • Secret Superstar: Week 10; $404 from one theater; $2,155,001 total

*Bollywood Hungama frequently counts Canadian theaters twice when they report figures for a film’s first few weeks of release. When possible, I verify theater counts at Box Office Mojo, but I use Bollywood Hungama as my primary source because they provide a comprehensive and consistent — if flawed — data set.

Sources: 143 Cinema, Box Office Mojo, and Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama

Movie Review: Tiger Zinda Hai (2017)

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2.5 Stars (out of 4)

Buy/rent the movie at Amazon or iTunes
Buy the soundtrack on iTunes

Tiger Zinda Hai (“Tiger Lives“) has its share of highlights, but the relentless plot requires a degree of stamina that would challenge any action movie enthusiast. Quick transitions from one set piece to the next allow little space for story or character development.

Set eight years after the events of Ek Tha Tiger, Salman Khan’s titular hero and his then-girlfriend-now-wife, Pakistani agent Zoya (Katrina Kaif), live in Austria with their son, Junior. The novelty of seeing Khan play a father onscreen is noteworthy, owing to its rarity.

Though Tiger and Zoya are retired from active duty, they haven’t left the spy life behind entirely. Zoya keeps her combat skills sharp by subduing armed robbers in the local grocery store, and Tiger confidently fights a pack of wolves while snowboarding. He has a room dedicated to tracking the activities of Indian intelligence agency RAW across the globe.

Thus, he’s not surprised when his former boss Shenoy (Girish Karnad) comes to him with an urgent mission: Islamic militants captured twenty-five Indian nursing students working in Iraq, and America has given India seven days to rescue their people before they bomb the hospital where the students are being held.

Zoya knows that Tiger’s love of country surpasses even his love for her and Junior, so she sends him on his mission without complaint. What they don’t know is that the Indian authorities neglected to tell them that fifteen Pakistani nurses are also being held in the same hospital. Tiger’s not the only one to get called out of retirement.

Tiger Zinda Hai‘s cynicism about politics is its most interesting attribute. As in the original film, the main couple personify the idea that Indians and Pakistanis have more in common than not, and that it’s the fault of the governments of both countries for pursuing agendas that make peace impossible. The members of Zoya’s and Tiger’s support teams also come to see the wisdom of working together toward shared goals, a tactic they wish could be applied across borders to improve things like education and healthcare on the subcontinent.

The sequel’s story expands that cynicism globally to indict America for what is deemed to be imperialism in the Middle East, chiefly the greedy pursuits of oil and lucrative weapons contracts cloaked under the guise of the eradication of terrorism. Abu Usman (Sajjad Delafrooz) — the leader of the terrorist group in Tiger Zinda Hai — cites his years in detention at Guantanamo Bay as the very reason for his radicalization.

Unfortunately, these political ideas aren’t woven into the plot, instead existing as meta-commentary directing the audience on how they can find their own kind of woke nationalism. Zoya’s and Tiger’s teams shed their instinctive mistrust of one another within minutes. Most of the criticism of America arises from conversations between Abu Usman and Poorna (Anupriya Goenka), the head nurse, but as supporting characters, the plot doesn’t devote much time to their character growth.

Then again, none of the characters in the movie really grow. Tiger is what he is: a patriotic humanitarian killing machine. Not that there’s anything wrong with such a character; it’s just a question of how much time can an audience be asked to spend with a character that reacts but doesn’t evolve.

The answer to that question is: something less than Tiger Zinda Hai‘s lengthy 161-minute runtime. Apart from one romantic song early in the movie — before Tiger leaves his family and we bid adieu to Junior for most of the film — the plot races through each action sequence, followed by a brief break to set up the next action sequence. After a while, all the explosions and fisticuffs become too much of a good thing.

Yet, when it is good, Tiger Zinda Hai is pretty fun. All of the movie’s best moments belong to Katrina Kaif, and she proves herself to be a compelling action hero in her own right. From her stunt-driving through narrow alleyways to her own one-woman-wrecking-crew takedown of a bunch of bad guys, Kaif commands the screen.

Khan is no slouch when it comes to fight sequences, of course, and his obligatory shirtless scene is a hoot. His sidekicks have little to do, raising questions as to how that can be the case given how long the movie is. Delafrooz’s relaxed demeanor makes him an effective villain.

One personal complaint is that Tiger Zinda Hai cuts corners by casting non-Americans in American roles, leading to some head-scratching accents. Also unintentionally hilarious is the fact that one of the American military officers in Iraq has his first name — Gary — written on his name tag on his uniform. Gary zinda hai!

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Streaming Video News: February 17, 2015

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I updated my list of Bollywood movies on Netflix with three new additions to the catalog. After a few months’ absence, Ek Tha Tiger and Ladies vs Ricky Bahl are once more available for streaming. Also, just two months after its theatrical release in the U.S., Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain is now on Netflix. The English-language drama featuring Hollywood stars like Martin Sheen and Kal Penn alongside Bollywood vets like Rajpal Yadav and Tannishtha Chatterjee depicts the true, tragic events of a 1984 industrial disaster. It’s worth watching.

For everything else new on Netflix, check Instant Watcher.

Streaming Video News: December 12, 2014

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I updated my list of Bollywood movies streaming on Netflix to reflect one change: Salman Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger leaves the service on Friday, December 19. It’s not a great movie, but the novelty of the scenes shot in Cuba may make it worth a watch.

Bollywood Box Office: May 2-4

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With no new Hindi movies opening in the U.S. or Canada on Friday, May 2, 2014, old favorites continued to pull in crowds at the North American box office. The Lunchbox — now in its tenth week — earned $255,736 from 141 screens ($1,814 average), bringing its total earnings to $2,968,497 so far.

2 States also held up well in its third week. It earned $167,377 from ninety-one screens ($1,839 average) to bring its total North American earnings to $1,978,594.

With The Lunchbox set to pass $3 million in North American earnings this week and 2 States about to the clear the $2 million mark, it’s worth noting the significance of these achievements. Both movies are romantic dramas, as opposed to action-packed spectacles. Neither film features A-list superstars (industry and audience respect for Irrfan Khan notwithstanding).

A look at the last five years of box office receipts reveals similarities among the sixteen Hindi films that managed to earn more than $2 million in North America during that period (five in 2013, five in 2012, two in 2011, one in 2010, and two in 2009). Four films are action sequels: Dhoom 3, Krrish 3, Dabangg 2, and Don 2. A small list of actors show up in multiple movies on the list:

[Somebody in Bollywood needs to cash in by bringing back Shahrukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan for Ra.Two, featuring Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif as the villains.]

The Lunchbox continues to earn big, thanks to its partnership with a Hollywood distributor — Sony Pictures Classics — which has dramatically expanded its potential audience compared to a typical Hindi film. Though movie adaptations of popular books are far rarer in India than in Hollywood, the success of 2 States should start to change that.

The only other Hindi movie showing in the U.S. the weekend of May 2-4 was Queen. Now in its ninth week, it earned $190 from one theater, bringing its total earnings to $1,417,405.

Source: Bollywood Hungama (figures supplied by Rentrak)

Box Office: January 31-February 2, 2014

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Following a less-than-stellar opening weekend performance in American theaters, Jai Ho‘s earnings cratered in its second weekend. According to Box Office Mojo, Jai Ho‘s earnings fell nearly eighty percent in its second weekend, earning just $176,214 in the U.S. and Canada.

For comparison’s sake, theaters that carried 11-week-old films like Philomena or The Hunger Games: Catching Fire earned more per screen ($1,702 and $1,144 respectively) than did theaters that gave Jai Ho a second week ($904).

Jai Ho‘s total U.S./Canada earnings of $1,187,266 so far put it well off the pace of recent Salman Khan films like Dabangg 2 ($2,519,190), Ek Tha Tiger ($2,347,774), and Bodyguard ($1,834,384).