Here’s your go-to guide for the exciting new OTT releases dropping on streaming platforms like JioHotstar, Netflix and more this Friday, July 17, 2026. The lineup ranges from ‘Maa Inti Bangaaram’, a Telugu crime thriller led by Samantha Ruth Prabhu, to ‘Nam Joo Hyuk’ and Roh Yoon Seo’s dark fantasy K-drama ‘The East Palace’, and ‘Heartstopper Forever’, a coming-of-age romance feature-length series finale, enough to keep your binge-watching sorted this week.
‘The East Palace’
Streaming platform – NetflixRelease date – July 17Set in a dark fantasy world, the K-drama revolves around a king (Cho Seung Woo) who brings together Gu Cheon (Nam Joo Hyuk), a fearless yet arrogant swordsman with the power to slay ghosts, and Saeng Gang (Roh Yoon Seo), a court lady cursed with the ability to hear voices of the dead, to get to the bottom of a deadly curse haunting the crown prince’s residence. Together, they must stand up against sinister supernatural forces threatening the royal palace.
‘Desire’
Streaming platform – NetflixRelease date – July 17Desire, a Mexican erotic thriller, centres on Lucero (Ludwika Paleta), an accomplished lawyer whose seemingly ideal life begins to crumble after she becomes entangled in a passionate affair with Matías (Óscar Casas), her daughter’s charming swimming coach. What starts as a hidden romance eventually spirals into a dangerous web of desire and betrayal when her daughter also falls for the same man, giving rise to a volatile love triangle.
‘Maa Inti Bangaaram’
Streaming platform – JioHotstarRelease date – July 17‘Maa Inti Bangaaram’ is a high-octane Telugu crime thriller that follows Swarna (Samantha Ruth Prabhu), a former assassin trying to put her violent past behind her. She builds a quiet life as a devoted daughter-in-law, but when her dark history comes back to haunt her, she’s forced out of retirement, compelling her to bring back the deadly skills she had hoped to leave behind for good.
‘Heartstopper Forever’
Streaming platform – NetflixRelease date – July 17Wrapping up the beloved coming-of-age romance as its feature-length finale, ‘Heartstopper Forever’ follows Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke) as they step into the next phase of their lives. As Nick heads off to university and Charlie embraces newfound independence at school, the couple must work through the emotional strain of a long-distance relationship and the uncertainties it brings.
‘23,000 Lives’
Streaming platform – NetflixRelease date – July 17Drawing from the true story of Jugend Rettet, ‘23,000 Lives’ traces a group of idealistic young activists from Berlin who crowdfund an old rescue ship to save refugees crossing the Mediterranean Sea. As their humanitarian mission becomes increasingly dangerous, they find themselves pulled into a moral and legal battle that tests their convictions about justice, morality and the law.
