Head Bush on OTT: THIS is when Daali Dhananjaya’s MP Jayaraj biopic is expected to start streaming

Head Bush was one of Daali Dhananjaya’s most anticipated films of the year. A home production for the actor-producer, the film, directed by debutant Shoonya, was based on reformed gangster Agni Sridhar’s book, My Days in the Underworld and explored the life and times of Bengaluru’s first don, MP Jayaraj. Dhananjaya played the lead in the film, as Jayaraj, in the film that included a massive ensemble cast with names likes Vasishta N Simha, Raghu Mukherjee, Ravichandran, Yogi, Sruthi Hariharan, Payal Rajput, among others, on board.

Planned as a multi-part franchise, the first instalment of Head Bush was called The Rise and Rise of Bengaluru and focused on MP Jayaraj’s rise in the city’s underworld. The film released in theatres on October 21, amid calls by fans requesting the team to push it ahead, as they felt that promotions were inadequate in the run-up to its theatrical outing. The satellite and digital rights of the film had been sold prior to its theatrical release, with Zee Network scooping it up.

The film opened to mixed reviews with Dhananjaya’s performance as Jayaraj lauded, but that the overall package lacked depth. Its box office performance was further affected when controversy broke out surrounding the depiction of Karaga in the film, following which the team had to cut several dialogues during that sequence. The film, we hear, is now ready for its OTT outing, with December 23 the likely date that it will drop on Zee5 Kannada.

In the run-up to Head Bush’s release, OTTplay had asked Dhananjaya about the next instalment in the franchise, to which he had said that it would depend on the film’s box office performance. Given its lukewarm reception, it remains to be seen if the team will revisit the subject. Meanwhile, Dhananjaya is busy winding up work on Hoysala, his second film with KRG Studios, and will then start their third production, Uttarakaanda, which also marks Ramya’s comeback to cinema.