What to watch on December 18: Black Widows is streaming on ZEE5

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is streaming on Netflix. The film marks the last appearance of Chadwick Boseman who passed away in August due to cancer. The film also stars Viola Davis, Colman Domingo, Michael Potts, Glynn Turman, Dusan Brown and Taylour Paige. Directed by George C. Wolfe, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is produced by Denzel Washington and Todd Black.

Set in the 1920s, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom has Viola Davis playing Ma Rainey, a celebrated performer, who is trying to get control of her own music against her white manager. Chadwick Boseman plays Leevee, an ambitious trumpeter who wants to make his mark in the music industry.

Netflix’s Tamil anthology Paava Kadhaigal features short films of directors – Sudha Kongara, Vignesh Shivan, Gautham Vasudev Menon and Vetrimaaran. The cast includes – Anjali, Bhavani Sre, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Hari, Kalidas Jayaram, Kalki Koechlin, Padam Kumar, Prakash Raj, Sai Pallavi, Shanthnu Bhagyaraj and Simran among others.

On his short Oor Iravu, Vetrimaaran told The Indian Express, “I knew casting Prakash Raj and Sai Pallavi as father and daughter would reduce my work by half. When an actor like Prakash Raj becomes part of a story like this, he adds value to it. That apart, he has the ability to shift (emotionally) from one end of the spectrum to the other within seconds — from being a loving father to an aggressive patriarch who would do anything to assert his belief.”

Vignesh Shivan, who has directed Love Panna Uttranum, said in an earlier statement, “Paava Kadhaigal helped me explore such an authentic theme in an honest way and gave me the opportunity to work alongside some of the most experienced filmmakers from the industry.”