Raana on OTT: When and where to watch Shreyas Manju’s action entertainer

When Shreyas Manju’s acting debut, Paddehuli, did not go as well as expected, he made a conscious choice to do two vastly different films as follow ups. One was a realistic love story with no frills, directed by Mollywood filmmaker VK Prakash, Vishnu Priya, which is yet to release, while the other was Raana, a hardcore commercial entertainer by Nandakishore.

Shreyas was in the title role as Raana, an aspiring police officer, who inadvertently gets caught in the cross hairs of a local thug, Kapali (Mutant Raghu). Before he can ‘straighten’ things out, Raana is suspected of launching a near-fatal attack on Kapali, which, his murderous brother Suri (Mohan Dhanraj) is intent on avenging. How Raana clears his name, while also managing his love life on the side, forms the crux of the narrative.

All of two-hours long, Raana was an extensive showreel for Shreyas to showcase all that he can do in a commercial film set up. He was paired with Reeshma Nanaiah in the film, which had its fair share of action, and song-and-dance routines. Although it released in theatres in early November last year, it is only now that the team zeroed in on satellite and digital partners. Raana has been picked up by Udaya TV for the satellite rights, while SunNXT is the streaming partner. The film, we hear, will be available on the streaming platform from February 16.

Shreyas is now awaiting the release of Vishnu Priya, a film that he believes will portray him in a different light in Kannada cinema. He is paired with Priya Prakash Varrier, best known as the wink queen from the Malayalam movie, Oru Adaar Love. The young actor is yet to sign up for new projects, as he is on the lookout for meatier content.