What to Watch This Week (Sept 28–Oct 4): East of Eden, Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, Drishyam: The Conclusion and More

This is one of the busiest weeks for streaming all year. The October 1 drop on Netflix, a festive Gandhi Jayanti weekend in India, and a handful of long-awaited premieres mean your watchlist is about to get crowded. Between a prestige Steinbeck adaptation, the biggest Malayalam hit ever finally reaching OTT, and a Bollywood thriller franchise wrapping up in theatres, there is something here for every mood.

We've sorted the week of September 28 to October 4, 2026 by vibe, not just by platform, so you can find your next watch quickly. (If you're mainly following Marvel's fall calendar, our look at VisionQuest's two-episode premiere night covers that side of things.)

Netflix's Big October 1 Drop

East of Eden

Where: Netflix | Release: October 1 | Language: English | Genre: Period drama, limited series (7 episodes)

Zoe Kazan's adaptation of John Steinbeck's 1952 novel is the prestige event of the week. Florence Pugh plays Cathy Ames, with Christopher Abbott and Mike Faist as the Trask brothers, and Ciarán Hinds, Hoon Lee, Martha Plimpton and Tracy Letts in support. The story moves through early-1900s California across two generations, and Netflix's official Tudum page for East of Eden has the full cast and first-look images.

Why watch: Florence Pugh playing one of American literature's most unsettling characters is reason enough, and seven episodes means you can finish it in a weekend.

This is a series built for a big screen and a dark room. If you're planning a TV upgrade before the festive sales, our guide on picking the right screen size and viewing distance is worth a read.

Ohh My Dog

Where: Netflix | Release: October 1 | Language: Hindi | Genre: Family drama with a mystery streak

Directed by Amit Rai and starring Pankaj Tripathi, Pawan Malhotra and Maahi Rai, the film runs two parallel stories about the bond between people and their dogs: a boy searching for his lost pet, and a labourer whose dog turns detective.

Why watch: Pankaj Tripathi in gentle, warm mode is always easy viewing, and it's a pick the whole family can agree on.

Romanchakam

Where: Netflix | Release: October 1 | Language: Telugu (also in Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi) | Genre: Romantic comedy with a mystery twist

After its September 3 theatrical run, this youthful Telugu rom-com starring Sumanth Prabhas and Ananthika Sanilkumar comes to streaming. It's directed by Venu Gopal Reddy and produced under Bhadrakali Pictures, with music by Vasuki Vaibhav.

Why watch: A breezy, youthful Telugu romance with enough mystery to hold your attention, and a good fit for a light Thursday night.

South Indian Romance Season

Bethlehem Kudumba Unit

Where: JioHotstar | Release: October 2 | Language: Malayalam (also in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Kannada) | Genre: Romantic comedy-drama

This is the one Kerala has been waiting for. Girish A.D.'s Onam release, which opened in theatres on August 21, became the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time, earning close to ?300 crore worldwide. Nivin Pauly plays Justin, a settled bachelor whose routine is upended when Ashley (Mamitha Baiju) moves in next door.

Why watch: A feel-good crowd-pleaser with note-perfect lead performances, and the director of Premalu doing what he does best.

#Love

Where: Netflix | Release: October 2 | Language: Tamil (dubbed in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam) | Genre: Romantic comedy series

Produced by Soundarya Rajinikanth and directed by Balaji Mohan, #Love stars Aishwarya Lekshmi and Arjun Das as rival dating-app founders. Her app matches people on deep personality compatibility; his bets on instant chemistry. Naturally, neither algorithm saw their romance coming. Sean Roldan scores it.

Why watch: A sharp modern premise, Arjun Das's famous baritone in romantic-lead mode, and Aishwarya Lekshmi's first web series.

Thrillers, Courtrooms and Small-Town Chaos

Drishyam: The Conclusion (in theatres)

Where: Theatres | Release: October 2 | Language: Hindi | Genre: Crime thriller

Ajay Devgn's Vijay and his family face one final reckoning in this closing chapter, directed by Abhishek Pathak, with Tabu, Shriya Saran, Ishita Dutta, Rajat Kapoor and Jaideep Ahlawat, who plays Rajveer, the man now in charge of the case. It's the Hindi counterpart to Jeethu Joseph's Malayalam Drishyam 3, which released in May, but promises a fresh screenplay.

Why watch: Few Indian franchises reward loyal viewers like this one, and the holiday weekend makes it the big-screen event of the week. Hollywood is back to drawing crowds too; we recently looked at why the MCU is selling tickets again, and our Captain America: Brave New World review is a reminder of how mixed a franchise's later chapters can be.

Pooja Meri Jaan

Where: ZEE5 | Release: October 2 | Language: Hindi | Genre: Crime thriller

Shot back in 2022 and held back for four years, Navjot Gulati's film finally arrives. Mrunal Thakur plays Pooja, a young woman at the centre of a suspicious death, with Huma Qureshi, Vikram Singh Chauhan and Vijay Raaz. The story unfolds through conflicting perspectives on consent, obsession and how quickly society passes judgement.

Why watch: Mrunal Thakur in a darker, meatier role, plus a mystery that makes you question whose version of events to trust.

Dupahiya Season 2

Where: Prime Video | Release: October 1 | Language: Hindi | Genre: Comedy-drama series

Dhadakpur is back. Sonam Nair directs, and Gajraj Rao, Renuka Shahane, Sparsh Shrivastava and Bhuvan Arora return as the crime-free village runs into a new mess: this time a mobile tower and the chaos it brings to local land.

Why watch: Gentle, rooted humour in the Panchayat mould, perfect for winding down after a heavy thriller.

Main Ladega

Where: JioHotstar | Release: September 30 | Language: Hindi | Genre: Sports drama

Gaurav Rana's boxing drama, starring Akash Pratap Singh, Gandharv Dewan and Vallari Viraj, finally lands on streaming. It follows a young fighter who has to rebuild himself after a setback on the long road to a national title.

Why watch: An underdog story with real heart, and one of those small films audiences have been championing by word of mouth.

For the Documentary Crowd

The Last First: Winter K2

Where: Apple TV | Release: October 2 | Language: English | Genre: Adventure documentary

Director Amir Bar-Lev follows Iceland's John Snorri Sigurjónsson and Pakistani father-and-son team Ali and Sajid Sadpara as they attempt the first winter summit of K2. According to Apple TV Press, the film takes an unflinching look at the business of extreme mountaineering, touching on class, money and power along the way.

Why watch: Gripping, humane and visually overwhelming. Pair it with East of Eden for a very serious, very rewarding weekend.

Quick Guide: This Week at a Glance

• Sept 30: Main Ladega (JioHotstar, Hindi)
• Oct 1: East of Eden, Ohh My Dog, Romanchakam (Netflix); Dupahiya Season 2 (Prime Video)
• Oct 2: Bethlehem Kudumba Unit (JioHotstar); #Love (Netflix); Pooja Meri Jaan (ZEE5); The Last First: Winter K2 (Apple TV); Drishyam: The Conclusion (theatres)

Our Pick of the Week

If you only have time for one thing, make it Bethlehem Kudumba Unit on JioHotstar. It's the rare blockbuster that's also warm and gentle, and the multi-language release means everyone at home can watch it together. For a weekend binge, East of Eden is the prestige choice, while Drishyam: The Conclusion is worth the trip to theatres on Gandhi Jayanti.

Next week the spotlight moves back to Marvel. Catch up on what the new VisionQuest spot reveals about Jocasta before the premiere. Happy watching!