Exclusive: From Konkona to Kusha, celebrity-approved films & shows to watch

Want to know which shows and films celebrities are watching? Hook caught up with some actors, directors, and industry insiders who told us which movie or series they loved, and would recommend to everyone. So, if you want to know what to check out this weekend, here’s a celebrity-recommended watchlist for you.

‘Adolescence’ was a hot favourite for many

The crime drama ‘Adolescence’, which has an 8.3 on IMDb, came highly recommended by many. The show delves into the psychology of a young boy, and deals with intense subject matters ranging from toxic masculinity to how social media impacts young minds.

When asked to recommend a must-watch film, actor and writer Kusha Kapila said, “I just watched ‘Adolescence’. Excellent show,” while ‘Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Wives’ star Seema Kiran Sajdeh picked it as her top recommendation: “‘Adolescence!’ Honestly, my mind was blown. I started watching it at 10 o’clock at night, thinking I’ll watch one episode and sleep. I stayed awake till four A.M. to finish it. I couldn’t, I couldn’t stop it, and it was just gripping and I-I was oscillating between, like, awe and crying. And that last scene, I just couldn’t take it. I was like—every-- it’s a must-watch for every parent out there.”

Actor-director Konkona Sensharma also added that the show was on her watchlist as well, saying “I have a 14-year-old son, so I’m just kind of summoning the will and trying to find a free kind of a window where I can binge-watch the whole thing.”

The desi web shows to watch

Actor Jyothika Saravanan recommended some homegrown dramas to check out. She said, “I saw ‘Paatal Lok’ recently. I’d love to name our Indian web-series because I think they are fabulous. I binge-watched it. I just saw it at a go. I saw ‘Black Warrant’ also. Stunning.”

About a police officer and the murky workings of the underworld, ‘Paatal Lok’ stars Jaideep Ahlawat, and has an 8.2 on IMDb. Created by Vikramaditya Motwane, ‘Black Warrant’ has an 8 on IMDb, and stars Zahan Kapoor and is a crime drama told from the perspective of a jailer stationed at Tihar jail.

Underrated regional gems to check out

Jyothika wasn’t the only one recommending good Indian content. Award-winning director Payal Kapadia recommended Malayalam language thriller, ‘Aattam,’ which has an 8.2 on IMDb. She said, “I watched this movie ‘Aattam’. I really liked it. I think it’s a really important film to watch. I feel like, like it’s really something that every woman will connect to.” A thriller about a woman in a theatre group full of men, ‘Aattam’ wasn’t the only feminist Indian film recommended, though.

‘All We Imagine as Light’ actor Kani Kusruti recommended another must-watch: “A Malayalam film that I watched, ‘Ponman’, I thought the story is very interesting and the director is a production designer directing for the first time. It’s a Malayalam film and I thought it’s a wonderful story, it’s an amazing story.” About dowry, the film is a black comedy that is also at times a thriller. It has a 7.4 on IMDb.

Kusha Kapila also recommended a Hindi film that did not get a lot of hype, “And very recently, I watched ‘An Action Hero’ for the first time in my life. Old movie, but I missed it, it was a lovely film.”

Starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Jaideep Ahlawat, the film is a meta story about a movie star who does action films, having to deal with events in his life that force him to channel his inner action hero off the screen. It has a 7 on IMDb.

International shows to binge

Konkona Sensharma recommended some international shows that she has been watching, and some that she wants to watch, saying, “I’m waiting to finish ‘Severance’ and ‘White Lotus’.” Kusha Kapila was another celebrity who recommended ‘The White Lotus’, saying, “And I have been watching ‘White Lotus’.

‘The White Lotus’ is an anthology spanning three seasons as of now, and it has an 8 on IMDb. The comedy-drama is a look into the luxurious lives of the rich, their dark inner lives, and how what glitters isn’t always gold.

‘Severance’ has an 8.7 on IMDb, and it is a workplace sci-fi drama in which the minds of office workers have been split to separate their personal and professional lives.

Feminist films and shows you can’t miss

Actor Chhaya Kadam recommended loads of female-centric shows and films. Talking about what she had recently watched that she’d suggest others watch as well, she said,“Like, I just saw ‘Mrs.’ made by Arati. ‘All We Imagine As Light’, um, ‘Dabba Cartel’.”

Starring Sanya Malhotra, ‘Mrs.’ is a remake of the 2021 Malayalam film, ‘The Great Indian Kitchen’. The film has a 6.7 on IMDb, and it highlights the regressive, sexist attitudes married women face.

Directed by Payal Kapadia and starring Kani Kusruti and Chhaya Kadam, ‘All We Imagine As Light’ is a drama about the lives of three women, and has a 7.1 on IMDb.

Starring Shabana Azmi, Jyothika, Lillete Dubey, Gajraj Rao, and many others, ‘Dabba Cartel’ is a crime drama series. About a group of women running a tiffin-service getting embroiled in a drug operation case, it has a 7.1 on IMDb.

So, which of these celebrity-approved shows and films are you most excited to watch?