From ‘Goodbye’ To ‘Amsterdam’, Here Are The Movies You Need To Watch This October

Eesha Kulkarni

As we usher in the year-end festive and holiday season, there is no stopping the influx of exciting movie releases in October, including the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Goodbye, Ayushmann Khurrana’s comedy of errors, Doctor G and spooky season-friendly Halloween Ends. Another superhero franchise blockbuster hitting the big screens next month is Black Adam from the DC Comics Universe, boasting big names such as Dwayne Johnson, Pierce Brosnan and Viola Davis in the ensemble cast.

Goodbye

Release date: 7 October

Produced by Balaji Motion Pictures and written and directed by Vikas Bahl of Queen and Super 30 fame, Goodbye revolves around the tumultuous life of a recent widower, played by Amitabh Bachchan, and his daughter (Rashmika Mandanna). In this family drama, the characters are forced to navigate life after tragedy hits them in the form of Mandanna’s mother and Bachchan’s wife’s death, whose role is portrayed by Neena Gupta.

Marking Mandanna’s Hindi film debut after gaining massive acclaim and fame post Pushpa: The Rise’s nationwide success, the film’s central premise seems to be exploring the rocky relationship between the father-daughter duo, reminding us of Piku. If the trailer is anything to go by, despite the film having a sombre backstory, the undertone and dialogue delivery is characterised by grim and satiric comedic relief—a genre we simply cannot resist!

Amsterdam

Release date: 7 October

The highly-anticipated period mystery film Amsterdam, which is inspired by a true story, caused quite a stir among audiences with its trailer release and a jaw-dropping star-studded cast. Featuring Hollywood biggies including Margot Robbie, Robert de Niro, Taylor Swift, Christian Bale, John David Washington, Rami Malek and Chris Rock to name a few, David O. Russell’s directorial comeback promises to keep you at the edge of your seats. Set in 1930s Amsterdam, the film’s dark murder mystery theme is expertly juxtaposed against comedic timing and delivery, and follows the life of three friends who find themselves entangled in one of the most unhinged conspiracies in American history. As the trailer suggests, the three friends—two soldiers (Christian Bale and John David Washington) and a nurse (Margot Robbie)—witness a murder and are eventually turned into suspects in this nail-biting thriller.

Doctor G

Release date: 14 October

After the Junglee Pictures’ movie’s tongue-in-cheek poster generated viral buzz and intrigue among the audiences, its highly-anticipated trailer released two days ago, leaving viewers in splits. Helmed by a stellar cast comprising Ayushmann Khurrana as a reluctant male gynaecologist, Rakul Preet as his senior in medical college, Sheeba Chaddha as his mother and Shefali Shah as the coordinator of the college, Doctor G explores gender bias wrapped in a nuanced coming-of-age situational comedy. The director Anubhati Kashyap turns the tables by taking the viewers along the harrowing yet whimsical journey of a male doctor stumbling through a women-dominated field after failing to become an orthopaedic surgeon instead.

As with the case of all Ayushmann Khurrana-movies, Doctor G is all set to ruffle some feathers and address gender stereotypes, while making the audience laugh, reflect, and inspire some societal change.

Halloween Ends

Release date: 14 October

The iconic American slasher saga is geared to reveal its blood-curling climax in the 2022 movie Halloween Ends after years of serving as one of the most acclaimed horror movie franchises and spawning countless superhit sequels. In this epic finale by David Gordon Green, the protagonist Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) must confront the evil masked killer, Michael Myers (Nick Castle) once again, who has returned to wreak havoc in her life after a four-year hiatus. Strode, who is now living with her granddaughter Allyson Nelson (Andi Matichak), is on a mission to finish her memoir and reclaim her life as a liberated woman, after suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism thanks to Myers’ attacks over the years.

Just as Laurie is starting to embrace her newfound freedom, things take a turn for the worse when a young man Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell) is found guilty of allegedly killing a child he was babysitting and is framed as a Michael Myers copycat killer. This incident makes way for a myriad of terrors that Strode is forced to revisit and put an end to, once and for all.

Black Adam

Release date: 21 October

Black Adam, Dwayne Johnson’s long awaited anti-hero movie is finally coming to the big screens following a series of delays. Set against the backdrop of an ancient land, Kahndaq, Teth Adam uses the powers gifted to him by the ancient Egyptian gods to seek vengeance and ends up being locked up for misusing the powers. The newly minted Black Adam endures imprisonment for 5000 years and returns as a legend, only to be confronted by the Justice Society. Comprising modern-day heroes including Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Atom Smasher and Cyclone, the Justice Society decides to challenge Black Adam’s way of serving ‘justice’, fuelled by his 5000-year-long rage. With characters and concepts borrowed from SHAZAM! and the Justice Society of America storylines, this action-packed Warner Bros movie is definitely heading towards being a blockbuster.

Ram Setu

Release date: 24 October

Starring Akshay Kumar, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nushratt Bharuccha, and Satya Dev, Ram Setu follows the action-packed story of an archeologist whose help is enlisted to investigate the truth behind the mythological bridge, Ram Setu’s existence. Kumar’s character embarks on a thrilling and time-sensitive expedition with his posse to dig up proof of the bridge’s existence before evil forces erode the foundation of India’s history and heritage.

According to ancient legend, the Ram Setu was dexterously built by Lord Ram’s devoted Vanara Sena (army of monkeys) to enable Lord Ram to enter Sri Lanka and rescue his wife Sita from Ravana’s clutches. It is believed that the bridge was assembled using floating stones engraved and consequently enchanted with the name of Lord Rama, thus making them unsinkable. The Abhishek Sharma film is slated for a Diwali release—which is perfect given the theme of the movie.

Thank God

Release date: 25 October

In this action-adventure film produced by T-Series and Maruti International, writer and director Indra Kumar beckons the audience into a fantasy land with Sidharth Malhotra and Ajay Devgn in lead roles. Malhotra essays the role of a common man who lands up in the throes of death following a terrible accident and encounters the modern-day Chitragupta, played by Ajay Devgn, in his afterlife. As per Hindu mythology, Chitragupta is the deity entrusted with keeping a tally of good and bad deeds committed by human beings in their sojourn on earth. Based on those records, he even determines their path after death.

In Thank God’s trailer, we see the modern rendition of Chitragupta staging a much-needed intervention in Malhotra’s life, compelling the character to rethink his life choices and face his biggest flaws. The film also stars Rakul Preet in a strong female role.