Vinay Pathak is currently seen in ZEE5 film Chintu Ka Birthday.
In our series Streaming Guide, we list the works of a filmmaker or actor which are available on streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, Eros Now and YouTube among more.
This edition features Bollywood actor Vinay Pathak who has films like Khosla Ka Ghosla, Johnny Gaddar, Badlapur and Manorama Six Feet Under among more to his credit.
Khosla Ka Ghosla
Streaming on: Netflix
Director: Dibakar Banerjee
Dibakar Banerjee created a cinematic masterpiece with 2006 film Khosla Ka Ghosla. It follows the story of a middle-class man Kamal Kishore Khosla (Anupam Kher) who spends his life’s savings to buy land in Delhi to build his house. But the city’s most vicious property dealer Kishen Khurana (Boman Irani) encroaches upon his land and demands a high ransom in return. To help Khosla get back his land, Asif Iqbal (Vinay Pathak), an old partner of Khurana, comes up with a plan that he executes with the Khosla family.
If you are looking for a simple yet entertaining film, Khosla Ka Ghosla fits the bill. It is backed by amazing performances by the entire cast especially Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Vinay Pathak and Ranvir Shorey.
Bheja Fry
Streaming on: YouTube
Director: Sagar Ballary
Rajat Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Sarika, Milind Soman and Ranvir Shorey played lead roles in Bheja Fry.
Featuring Rajat Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Sarika, Milind Soman and Ranvir Shorey in the lead roles, Bheja Fry is a simple yet entertaining film. It is a story of a music director Ranjeet Thadani (Kapoor) who invites a guest for dinner every Friday to enjoy some laughs. But things go for a toss when he invites a part-time singer Bharat Bhushan (Pathak) who tries to help him get back his wife. It all gets chaotic as Bhushan has the quality of getting on people’s nerves.
Johnny Gaddaar
Streaming on: Disney Plus Hotstar
Director: Sriram Raghavan
If you loved watching Ayushmann Khurrana-Tabu starrer Andhadhun, there are chances that you would love Sriram Raghavan’s Johnny Gaddar. Starring Dharmendra, Rimi Sen, Vinay Pathak, Zakir Husain, Govind Namdeo, Ashwini Kalsekar, Daya Shetty, and Neil Nitin Mukesh, the film is an edge-of-the-seat thriller. Vinay Pathak, Dharmendra and Neil Nitin Mukesh have delivered phenomenal performances here.
Manorama Six Feet Under
Streaming on: YouTube, Amazon Prime Video
Director: Navdeep Singh
Abhay Deol’s Manorama Six Feet Under is a criminally underrated film.
In her review of Manorama Six Feet Under, The Indian Express film critic Shubhra Gupta wrote, “After Ek Chalis Ki Last Local, Abhay Deol cements his place as a thinking, intelligent actor who is unafraid to experiment. Gul Panag’s full-bodied wife is a pleasant surprise. And Vinay Pathak steals every scene, effortlessly. Navdeep Singh is a man to watch: Manorama, Six Feet Under is one of the most exciting movies I’ve seen in a long, long time.”
Mithya
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
Director: Rajat Kapoor
Vinay Pathak and Naseeruddin Shah in Mithya. (Express archive photo)
The comic thriller is about a wannabe actor VK (Ranvir Shorey) who is kidnapped because he looks similar to mafia kingpin Glum Bhai. He is replaced with the mafia king by the rival gang headed by Naseeruddin Shah. VK starts enjoying the perks of being a mafia lord until he finds himself in the middle of a gang war. Now what more drama does destiny hold for him, makes for the film’s narrative.
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
Streaming on: SonyLIV, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube
Director: Aditya Chopra
Shah Rukh Khan and Vinay Pathak in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. (Express archive photo)
In Rab Ne Bana De Jodi, Vinay Pathak played the role of salon owner Bobby who helps his friend Surinder Sahni (Shah Rukh Khan) impress his wife Tani Sahni, played by Anushka Sharma.
Dasvidaniya
Streaming on: YouTube
Director: Shashant Shah
The film is a bittersweet story of a middle-aged man Amar Kaul (Vinay Pathak) who discovers he has stomach cancer. He decides to live the last three months of his life to the fullest and makes a list of things he wishes to do before he dies. Though the plot reads similar to films like Anand and Kal Ho Na Ho, it is the treatment which makes Dasvidaniya different. It refrains from being a tearjerker, and the interesting characterisation makes the movie an entertaining watch.
Chalo Dilli
Streaming on: Eros Now, ZEE5, YouTube
Director: Shashant Shah
Here, Vinay Pathak plays a man from Delhi who burps and farts, and Lara Dutta is a sophisticated senior VP of a company. After missed flights and car breakdowns, the two take a road trip together from Jaipur to Delhi in trucks, camel-carts and trains. Inspired by Hollywood classic film Planes, Trains and Automobiles, the film does not offer anything extraordinary.
Badlapur
Streaming on: ZEE5, Amazon Prime Video
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Varun Dhawan in Badlapur.
Another terrific work of Sriram Raghavan, Badlapur is about a heist gone wrong. Raghu’s (Varun Dhawan) innocent wife and son are killed in an accident when Liak (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) along with his partner Harman (Vinay Pathak) tries to steal their car. The moment Raghu discovers their names, he decides to take revenge.
Island City
Streaming on: Disney Plus Hotstar
Director: Ruchika Oberoi
A still from the movie Island City.
In her review of Island City, The Indian Express’ Shubhra Gupta wrote, “There are several striking visuals in Ruchika Oberoi’s maiden venture which instantly communicate its central theme of dystopian alienation: a large city can turn so impersonal, our relations have become so transactional and empty, and our lives can become so mechanistic that the only one capable of any human warmth, is, ironically, a robot.”
Luka Chuppi
Streaming on: Netflix
Director: Laxman Utekar
A still from the movie Luka Chuppi.
Luka Chuppi is a light-hearted love story of Guddu (Kartik Aaryan) and Rashmi (Kriti Sanon) who meet in an arranged marriage set-up and decide to be in a live-in relationship before deciding on marriage. Guddu’s family discovers the duo is living together and to avoid any drama, Guddu and Rashmi claim they are already married. How they deal with their respective families while trying to get married in real makes for the film’s narrative.
The Tashkent Files
Streaming on: ZEE5
Director: Vivek Agnihotri
A still from the movie The Tashkent Files.
Starring Shweta Basu Prasad, Mithun Chakraborty, Naseeruddin Shah, Vinay Pathak, Pallavi Joshi, Mandira Bedi and Pankaj Tripathi among others, the film’s plot revolves around the mysterious death of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. It is not the kind of political thriller you would enjoy watching.
Chintu Ka Birthday
Streaming on: ZEE5
Directors: Satyanshu Singh, Devanshu Kumar
Chintu Ka Birthday is streaming on ZEE5.
The film is about Chintu’s family living in Iraq. Chintu (Vedant Raj Chibber), the youngest member of the family, is turning six and he is afraid if he will be able to celebrate his birthday since they live in a war zone. His family, who are illegal immigrants from Bihar, is unable to convince the Indian government that they are Indians and need help. Vinay Pathak plays Chintu’s father, Tillotama Shome is seen as Chintu’s mother, and Seema Pahwa is his grandmother.
Hip Hip Hurray
Streaming on: ZEE5
Director: Nupur Asthana
A still from Hip Hip Hurray.
One of the favourite TV shows of 90s kids, Hip Hip Hurray captured the story of a group of teenagers, their friendships, relationships and their bond with teachers. If you wish to see what was so special about the high school drama, 80 episodes of the show are streaming on ZEE5. Apart from acting in Hip Hip Hurray, Vinay Pathak also wrote its dialogues.
| Priyanka Chopra | Imtiaz Ali | Vishal Bhardwaj | Sanjay Leela Bhansali | Ayushmann Khurrana | Hrishikesh Mukherjee | Anees Bazmee | Rajkumar Hirani | | | | | | Hansal Mehta | Ranbir Kapoor | Varun Dhawan | | Shoojit Sircar | Abhay Deol | Deepika Padukone
Special Ops
Streaming on: Disney Plus Hotstar
Directors: Neeraj Pandey, Shivam Nair
A crime thriller about the manhunt for a notorious terrorist, Neeraj Pandey’s eight-episode web series Special Ops is backed by an able cast including actors like Kay Kay Menon, Vinay Pathak, Karan Tacker, Saiyami Kher and Divya Dutta among others.