Ranganayaka gets OTT streaming partner: Where to watch Guruprasad-Jaggesh combination after its theatrical run

Rangayanaka released in theatres on March 8 and is among the lucky few Kannada films to have made pre-release OTT and satellite business

Jaggesh in Ranganayaka

Director Guruprasad’s third collaboration with Navarasa Nayaka Jaggesh, Ranganayaka, released in theatres on March 8. The film, which comes years after Matha and Eddelu Manjunatha, had immense anticipation surrounding it, but if the reviews are anything to go by, the director-actor combination failed to live up to the expectation by miles.

Interestingly, though, Ranganayaka comes to theatres with post-theatrical OTT and satellite rights already in the bag, a luxury that very Kannada films have these days. Zee Network has picked up both the OTT and satellite rights, so Ranganayaka will be on Zee5 and Zee Kannada shortly. The pre-release business is perhaps the reason that the team’s promotional activities remained lacklustre.

Ranganayaka movie review: Guruprasad sure loves his voice and thoughts, but why should we?

Ranganayaka, meanwhile, is a Guruprasad commentary about his love for Kannada and its cinema, with a very liberal dose of adult comedy thrown in, the handling of which was left to Jaggesh. In a nutshell, Ranganayaka is a film about the possibility that the first Kannada motion picture being made in 1911 and not 1934 and the problems the maker, Padmanabha Sharma (Guruprasad in his supposed past life), faced.

During the song launch of Ranganayaka, actor-politician Jaggesh had said that he’s at a stage in his career at which he’s no more inclined to pick up everything coming his way. The actor added that he will continue to act only if there are projects that feel absolutely right to him. Raganayaka, he had said, was one such film, although audiences may want to differ.

The audience reviews on social media have not been very welcoming of the film, with many voicing their disappointment about Guruprasad and Jaggesh’s latest, that comes 15 years after Eddelu Manjunatha. Jaggesh’s continued reliance on sexual inuendo for comedy has also come under fire. The actor has not announced any upcoming projects, while Guruprasad is reportedly working on a couple, one of which will release after the Lok Sabha elections.

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