From Dollu to Window Seat, here are all the Kannada movies that are dropping on OTT this week

As far as Kannada films on OTT platforms goes, the rule is still that a theatrical release is a must, irrespective of the outcome, to secure a decent asking price from a streamer. Direct-to-OTT release are still a rarity, so what you get every now and then is a film that’s had a theatrical run and depending on its reception there, a decision is made on how soon to bring it to the platform. Successful films have the wherewithal to demand delayed OTT releases, well beyond the 30-day threshold, to allow it a decent box office run. The others have to then wait for the platform to decide a good time.

Today, for instance, a National Award winning Kannada film dropped on Amazon Prime Video with absolutely no fanfare. Director Sagar Puranik’s Dollu, which recently won the Best Regional Film-Kannada, is now available to stream. Produced by Pavan Wadeyar, the film stars Karthik Mahesh, Nidhi Hegde, Babu Hirannaiah, Chandra Mayur, Sharanya Suresh, Vijayalaxmi, Dr Prabhu Deva DS, Varun Srinivas, Chandramanu KGR and Gangadhar SM, among others. A tale of traditions, art and inclusivity, Dollu is about the local dance form Dollu Kunitha.

On Saturday, October 22, two Kannada films will drop on the same platform, Zee5 Kannada. First up, there’s Monsoon Raaga, the Kannada remake of the Telugu film C/O Kancharapalem, which has Achyuth Kumar, Suhasini Maniratnam, Dhananjaya, Rachita Ram, Shivank and Yasha Shivakumar in pivotal roles. The film follows four unconventional love stories in non-linear pattern.

Then there’s TV host and actress Sheetal Shetty’s directorial debut, Window Seat. The thriller, which has Nirup Bhandari, Sanjana Anand and Amrutha Iyengar in the lead, was about a musician witnessing the murder of the girl of his dreams through a train window, while on his commute from home to the resort he sings at. Window Seat had opened to positive reviews, but unfortunately, audiences were not too enthused about a trip to the movie halls. They’d rather wait for the film to drop on OTT and well, that wait ends this Saturday.