PremiumShakhahaari on OTT: ‘One of the best Kannada films of 2024’, ‘must-watch thriller’, say netizens
Debutant filmmaker Sandeep Sunkad’s Shakhahaari, starring Rangayana Raghu and Gopalkrishna Deshpande in the lead, is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video
Last Updated: 10.44 PM, May 24, 2024
In Sandalwood, it is often the trend that a film that gets good word-of-mouth publicity during its theatrical outing, rarely finds that translating into commensurate footfalls in movie halls. When the film eventually manages an OTT deal and it begins streaming, many of the comments on social media, then, are of ‘regret’ with audiences wishing they’d caught it on the big screen. Latest in line is the thriller Shakhahaari by debutant director Sandeep Sunkad.
The film starring Rangayana Raghu and Gopalkrishna Deshpande is currently on Amazon Prime Video, which has sparked a steady stream of words of praise for it on social media. Audiences who got around to watching the thriller now cannot get enough of the brilliant work by Rangayana Raghu, who is ably supported by Gopalkrishna Deshpande. Shakhahaari is being hailed as one of the best Kannada films of the year so far, with mind-blowing performances, making it a must watch, they reckon.
According to the team of Shakhahaari, they had not managed to break even with the theatrical collections and were hopeful of doing so and maybe even making a profit with the post-theatrical rights. The OTT deal, we are told, is on pay-per-view, wherein the team gets paid for the total streaming minutes week-on-week, making it imperative that audiences watch it on the streamer and not on some illegal download site. Shakhahaari had fallen prey to piracy during its OTT premiere, when it became available for audiences in the US and UK.
Shakhahaari has Rangayana Raghu as Subbanna Bhat, a chef running his own modest eatery, where he sells a few staples and has a regular clientele. His ‘hotel’ is also where he lives, so, when an injured fugitive, on the run from the cops, seeks refuge, he obliges. Something about the suspect’s repeated claims that he’s innocent pull at Subbanna’s heart strings. But then, despite his best efforts, Subbanna is not able to save the young man, who succumbs to his injury. What happens thereafter, when the police get wind of what may have happened forms the crux of the tale.