Martin on OTT: Dhruva Sarja’s action thriller locks post-theatrical streaming partner

Dhruva Sarja’s much-delayed 5th film, Martin, is Kannada cinema’s big Dasara release. The AP Arjun directorial is preparing for a box office clash with Superstar Rajinikanth’s Vettaiyan, with a scheduled release date on October 11. While there is speculation that the film’s release could get postponed as VFX work is still ongoing and the final print is yet to be submitted to the team, with censor certification also pending, a source tells us that the team will go ahead with October 11, no matter what.

Martin's satellite and digital partner revealed

What OTTplay has also learnt is that producer Uday K Mehta has been able to crack a satellite and digital streaming deal for Martin. The post-theatrical TV and OTT rights of Martin have been picked up by Zee Network. Zee 5 is where the film will stream after its theatrical run.

Martin, meanwhile, is based on a script by Dhruva’s uncle, Action King Arjun Sarja, and has the actor playing Lt Brigadier Arjun Saxena, an Indian army man, on a journey to figure out his true identity. Along the way, he finds love and faces various situations to save the motherland.

The film, which also stars Vaibhavi Shandilya, Anveshi Jain, Nikitin Dheer, Sukrutha Wagle, Achyuth Kumar, among many others, is said to have been made on a whopping budget of around Rs 70-80 crore. Cinematography is by Satya Hegde, with Mani Sharma the man behind the songs and Ravi Basrur handling the background score.

Martin, which was launched in 2021, was first announced as a September 2022 release and was initially meant to clash with Kantara. However, delays in production meant that the film got pushed all the way to 2024. It has now been revealed that the film’s release date was possible because Shivarajkumar was gracious enough to vacate September 27 and October 4 for his film Bhairathi Ranagal, which is now headed to theatres on November 15.