I updated my list of Bollywood movies on Netflix with some new additions to the catalog. The 2016 Tamil films Nila and Revelations are now available for streaming, as is the PBS documentary series India: Nature’s Wonderland. The 2013 Hindi film Ugly is also one again available for streaming. For everything else new on Netflix — including the first two movies in Deepika’s XXX franchise — check Instant Watcher.
Three(!) new Hindi films open in Chicago area theaters on February 17, 2017. The new movie getting the widest local release is the romantic-comedy Running Shaadi, starring Amit Sadh and the omnipresent Taapsee Pannu.
Running Shaadi opens Friday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. It has a listed runtime of 1 hr. 55 min.
Also new this weekend is the eco-thriller Irada, starring Arshad Warsi and Naseeruddin Shah. It opens Friday at MovieMax and the South Barrington 30 and has a runtime of 1 hr. 49 min.
The third new film of the weekend is the submarine drama The Ghazi Attack, which stars Taapsee Pannu (again) opposite Rana Daggubati, Kay Kay Menon, and Atul Kulkarni. The film — alternatively titled Ghazi — was shot simultaneously in both Hindi and Telugu, and both (English subtitled) versions are showing at Cinemark at Seven Bridges in Woodridge and MovieMax, which also carries the Tamil-dubbed version of the film. The Ghazi Attack has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 3 min.
Last weekend’s big new release, Jolly LLB 2, gets a second week at all four of the theaters carrying Running Shaadi, plus the Muvico Rosemont 18 in Rosemont, Marcus Addison Cinema in Addison, and AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge.
Raees gets a fourth week at MovieMax, South Barrington 30, and Cantera 17.
Other Indian movies showing at MovieMax this weekend include Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol (Malayalam), Om Namo Venkatesaya (Telugu w/English subtitles), Singam 3 (Tamil w/English subtitles), Yamudu 3 (Telugu w/no subtitles), Nenu Local (Telugu w/English subtitles), Kirik Party (Kannada), and Jomonte Suvisheshangal (Malayalam).
Akshay Kumar takes over the lead role from Arshad Warsi in the comedy sequel Jolly LLB 2, which opens in Chicago area theaters on February 10, 2017. Inconsistent subtitles made the original Jolly LLB incomprehensible for the Hindi illiterate (like me), but I’m confident that won’t be an issue in the followup, which co-stars my girl Huma Qureshi.
Jolly LLB 2 opens Friday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, Muvico Rosemont 18 in Rosemont, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, Marcus Addison Cinema in Addison, and AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 16 min.
Raees carries over for a third week at MovieMax, South Barrington 30, Woodridge 18, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. Kaabil gets a third week at MovieMax and South Barrington 30, which also holds over Growing Up Smith.
The English-subtitled Pakistani romantic-comedy Balu Mahi debuts Friday at the South Barrington 30 and Century Stratford Square in Bloomingdale.
Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend:
After a very good opening weekend for Raees and a not so good opening weekend for Kaabil, both films stick around Chicago area theaters for a second week. Starting Friday, February 3, 2017, both movies carry over at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, Regal Round Lake Beach Stadium 18 in Round Lake Beach, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville, and AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge.
Additionally, Raees gets a second weekend at Muvico Rosemont 18 in Rosemont, while Kaabil carries over at Marcus Addison Cinema in Addison and Century Stratford Square in Bloomingdale. Dangal gets a seventh weekend at the South Barrington 30.
Growing Up Smith — a cute story about an Indian-American boy’s childhood in Oklahoma in 1979 — opens on Friday at the South Barrington 30. Stars Roni Akurati and Anjul Nigam will be at the South Barrington 30 for two special screenings of the film on Monday, February 6, at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. The specific theater for the screenings only holds 36 people (including two spaces for wheelchairs), so buy your tickets in advance.
Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend:
With two big movies coming out January 25 — Raees and Kaabil — there are no new Hindi films opening in Chicago area theaters on Friday, January 20, 2017. At the time of this writing, the only theaters with confirmed Wednesday showtimes for Raees and Kaabil are MovieMax Cinemas in Niles and the AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, though certainly that will change in the coming days.
Last weekend’s unpopular new release, OK Jaanu, sticks around at MovieMax, South Barrington 30, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. Tuesday is the last day for OK Jaanu at the South Barrington 30 and Cantera 17, and it shifts to one showing per day — at 11:15 p.m. — at MovieMax starting Wednesday.
Dangal carries over for a fifth week at MovieMax, South Barrington 30, and AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge.
Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend:
The first Bollywood movie to release in Chicago area theaters in 2017 is OK Jaanu, a remake of the 2015 Tamil hit OK Kanmani (available on Netflix). The Hindi remake hits theaters on January 13 and stars Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor.
OK Jaanu opens on Friday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, Muvico Rosemont 18 in Rosemont, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, Marcus Addison Cinema in Addison, Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville, and AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 15 min.
Dangal carries over for a fourth week at the South Barrington 30, Cantera 17, Woodridge 18, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, and AMC Showplace Naperville 16 in Naperville.
Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend include:
I updated my list of Bollywood movies on Netflix with some exciting new additions to the catalog. One of my favorite movies of 2016 — Udta Punjab — is now available for streaming. It’s tremendous. Another highly anticipated addition to the catalog is Omi Vaidya‘s documentary Big in Bollywood. Also newly available for streaming are the movies Autohead (Hindi), Radiopetti (Tamil), and Saheb Bibi Golaam (Bengali), and the documentaries An American in Madras and The Rat Race. For everything else new on Netflix, check Instant Watcher.
Have a happy new year!
— Kathy
The sequel to the super-fun action flick Force hits Chicago area theaters on November 18, 2016. John Abraham returns for Force 2, this time teaming up with Sonakshi Sinha against a villain played by Mardaani‘s Tahir Raj Bhasin.
Force 2 opens on Friday at MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 4 min.
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil gets a fourth week at all of the above theaters, plus the AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge. Shivaay carries over at the South Barrington 30 and MovieMax, which also holds over Rock On 2 for a second week.
Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend:
Even with three big Hollywood films releasing on November 4, 2016 — Doctor Strange, Trolls, and Hacksaw Ridge — Ae Dil Hai Mushkil carries over in all eleven of the Chicago theaters in which it opened last weekend.
Last weekend’s other new release — Shivaay — didn’t fare as well as ADHM at the box office, thus it carries over in just three of its original five theaters: MovieMax, South Barrington 30, and Cantera 17.
Other Indian movies showing in Chicago area theaters:
The Diwali releases are here to save what has been a lackluster October at the North American box office. Director Karan Johar’s romance, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (“This Heart is Complicated“) — starring Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Fawad Khan — gets the wider release of the two new Bollywood films opening in the Chicago area on October 28, 2016.
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil — which has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 38 min. — opens on Friday in eleven local theaters (two more theaters than Fan or Sultan):
The weekend’s other new release is the action adventure Shivaay, starring and directed by Ajay Devgn.
Shivaay opens on Friday at the Chicago Showplace Icon, River East 21, MovieMax, South Barrington 30, and Cantera 17. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 49 min.
The only older Hindi films carrying over are 31st October at MovieMax and M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story at the South Barrington 30.
Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend: