New on Disney+ Hotstar in April: ‘Better Nate Than Ever,’ ‘Death on the Nile’ and more

Here is the full list of titles coming to the platform this month:

MARVEL TITLES

Moon Knight (New Episodes every Wednesday) –  English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam

Moon Knight follows Steven Grant, a mild-mannered gift-shop employee, who becomes plagued with blackouts and memories of another life. Steven discovers he has dissociative identity disorder and shares a body with mercenary Marc Spector. As Steven/Marc’s enemies converge upon them, they must navigate their complex identities while thrust into a deadly mystery among the powerful gods of Egypt.

Cast: Oscar Issac, Ethan Hawke and Gaspard Ulliel

DISNEY TITLES

Better Nate Than Ever (1 April)

Thirteen-year-old Nate Foster has big Broadway dreams. There’s only one problem — he can’t even land a part in the school play. But when his parents leave town, Nate and his best friend Libby sneak off to the Big Apple for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prove everyone wrong. A chance encounter with Nate’s long-lost Aunt Heidi turns his journey upside-down, and together they must learn that life’s greatest adventures are only as big as your dreams. Based on the award-winning novel.

Cast: Rueby Wood, Aria Brooks, Joshua Bassett, Michelle Federer, Norbert Leo Butz and Lisa Kudrow

No Exit ( April 15)

In the suspense thriller No Exit, Darby Throne, a young woman en route to a family emergency, is stranded by a blizzard and forced to find shelter at a highway rest area with a group of strangers. When she stumbles across an abducted girl in a van in the parking lot, it sets her on a terrifying life-or-death struggle to discover who among them is the kidnapper. 

Director: Damien Power 

Cast: Havana Rose Liu, Danny Ramirez, David Rysdahl, Mila Harris, Dale Dickey, Dennis Haysbert

Sketchbook (27 April) 

An intimate instructional documentary series,  Sketchbook takes us onto the desks and into the lives of talented artists and animators. Each episode focuses on a single artist teaching us how to draw a single iconic character from a Walt Disney Animation Studios film. As we learn the steps to drawing these characters, we also discover that the artists themselves each have a unique story to tell about how they made their way to Disney and their chosen characters.

Cast: Eric Goldberg, Gabby Capili, Samantha Vilfort, Jin Kim, Mark Henn and Hyun-Min Lee. 

EARTH DAY LAUNCHES 

Polar Bear (22 April) 

Narrated by two-time Academy Award® nominee Catherine Keener, Disneynature’s  Polar Bear tells the story of a new mother whose memories of her own youth prepare her to navigate motherhood in the increasingly challenging world that polar bears face today. Helmed by Alastair Fothergill and Jeff Wilson, and produced by Fothergill, Wilson, Jason Roberts, Keith Scholey and Roy Conli.

Bear Witness (22 April) 

Bear Witness journeys alongside the filmmakers behind Disneynature’s  Polar Bear as they face profound challenges 300 miles from the North Pole. The team, who created a revolutionary arctic camp on-site, navigated virtually impassable snowdrifts and tenuous sea ice, garnering unprecedented footage revealing adaptive behaviours that surprised even this veteran team of filmmakers.

The Biggest Little Farm: The Return (22 April) 

The Biggest Little Farm: The Return, from National Geographic, is based on the 2018 award-winning feature documentary film that tells the story of John and Molly Chester, who abandon their urban life in Los Angeles to live on a barren farm to grow delicious food in harmony with nature in Ventura County. The new special follows the farmers’ 10-year tireless journey as they transform the land into a magical working farm and document the whole process in this heartwarming special that is akin to a real-life “Charlotte’s Web.”

Explorer: The Last Tepui (22 April)

The Earth Day special  Explorer: The Last Tepui, follows elite climber Alex Honnold (“Free Solo”) and a world-class climbing team led by National Geographic Explorer and climber Mark Synnott on a grueling mission deep in the Amazon jungle as they attempt a first-ascent climb up a 1000 foot sheer cliff. Their goal is to deliver legendary biologist and National Geographic Explorer Bruce Means to the top of a massive “island in the sky” known as a tepui. The team must first trek miles of treacherous jungle terrain to help Dr Means complete his life’s work, searching the cliff wall for undiscovered animal species. The one-hour special is the newest instalment of National Geographic’s long-running “Explorer” series. This Earth Day, learn why the tepuis – much like the Galapagos – are a treasure trove of biodiversity worth protecting.

INDIAN TITLES

Anupamaa – Namaste America – (25th April)

Anupamaa launched in July 2020 for television, is a running series that has already aired over 500 episodes that are available on both Star Plus and Disney+ Hotstar. The original cast of the television has been retained for the prequel and will see Sudhanshu Pandey essay the role of Vanraj, followed by Alpana Buch and Arvind Vaidya in pivotal roles. Anupama- Namaste America will also introduce a brand-new character from Anupamaa’s early years, Moti Baa played by veteran television actor Sarita Joshi. This special character will play a pivotal role in forming Anupamaa’s early life as an aspiring dancer.   

Taanakkaran ( Tamil ) 

The movie deals with the hardships a slew of young police trainees face at a training camp. Vikram Prabhu plays an aggressive trainee who questions senior officers who are ruthless during the training sessions. Directed by Tamizh, the film will also see Lal and Anjali Nair in lead roles. 

Kanaa Kaanum Kaalangal (Tamil ) 

Kanaa Kaanum Kaalangal,  the trend-setting Tamil show is now back with season 2 only on Disney+ Hotstar. The story revolves around heartwarming friendships, teenage romances and the rivalries that form between the old school students and the bunch of new joinees. 

Kaun Pravin Tambe

Sports biopic,  Kaun Pravin Tambe, starring Shreyas Talpade, based on the life of the cricketer will stream on Disney+ Hotstar on 1 April. The film has been directed by Jayprad Desai. Written by Kiran Yadnyopavit,  Kaun Pravin Tambe will also feature Ashish Vidyarthi, Parambrata Chaterjee and Anjali Patil in pivotal roles.

Bheeshma Parvam  (Malayalam)

Gangster drama  Bheeshma Parvam is an and action-thriller film produced and directed by Amal Neerad. Starring Mammootty in the lead role with  Soubin Shahir, Sreenath Bhasi, Nadhiya Moidu, Shine Tom Chacko and Farhaan Faasil in supporting roles, this malayalam film is an adrenaline pumping entertainer based on an influential family in Kerala’s Kochi.   

SPORTS 

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 kicked off on March 26 with 10 teams fighting for the trophy. The 15th edition of IPL will be played across Mumbai and Pune with the day matches starting at 3:30 pm IST and the matches at 7:30 pm IST. All LIVE matches of the championship  will be exclusively available to new and existing viewers.  Fans will be able to enjoy commentary in 8 languages – English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bangla, Malayalam and an exclusive feed, in Marathi. 

KIDS TITLES

Shinchan 

Crayon Shin-chan, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshito Usui. Crayon Shin-chan made its first appearance in 1990 in a Japanese weekly magazine called Weekly Manga Action, which was published by Futabasha. 

OTHER TITLES

Nightmare Alley (1 April) 

When charismatic but down-on-his-luck Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) endears himself to clairvoyant Zeena (Toni Collette) and her has-been mentalist husband Pete (David Strathairn) at a travelling carnival, he crafts a golden ticket to success, using this newly acquired knowledge to grift the wealthy elite of 1940s New York society. With the virtuous Molly (Rooney Mara) loyally by his side, Stanton plots to con a dangerous tycoon (Richard Jenkins) with the aid of a mysterious psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) who might be his most formidable opponent yet.

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, David Strathairn

The King’s Man (8 April) 

As a collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop them. Discover the origins of the very first independent intelligence agency in The King’s Man. The film directed by  Matthew Vaugh is based on the comic book  The Secret Service by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons.

Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou and Charles Dance.

Death on the Nile (15 April) – English and Hindi

Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot’s Egyptian vacation aboard a glamorous river steamer turns into a terrifying search for a murderer when a picture-perfect couple’s idyllic honeymoon is tragically cut short. Set against an epic landscape of sweeping desert vistas and the majestic Giza pyramids, this dramatic tale of love gone wrong features a cosmopolitan group of impeccably dressed travellers and enough wicked twists and turns to leave audiences guessing until the final, shocking denouement.

Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Armie Hammer and Gal Gadot

MasterChef Australia (19 April) 

Top Australian chefs judge passionate home cooks who participate in competitive culinary challenges to develop their cooking skills and win the title.

Ice Age: Scrat Tales (13 April)

Ice Age: Scrat Tales is a series of six all-new animated shorts starring Scrat, the hapless sabre-toothed squirrel of the Ice Age adventures, who experiences the ups and downs of fatherhood, as he and the adorable, mischievous Baby Scrat, alternately bond with each other and battle for ownership of the highly treasured Acorn. Featuring the vocal talents of Chris Wedges (Scrat) and Karl Wahlgren (Baby Scrat), the series is produced by Anthony Nisi, with Robert L. Baird and Andrew Millstein serving as executive producers. “Ice Age: Scrat Tales” will debut on Disney+ Hotstar on April 13.