Film buffs have been caught by surprise this week when Amazon Prime Video and top Telugu star Venkatesh Daggubati announced the direct digital premiere of the latter’s much-awaited film, “Narappa“. Not only are cinema enthusiasts surprised by the decision, they are also majorly disappointed. The Telugu film Narappa is a remake of Dhanush’s Tamil blockbuster “Asuran”. It is a larger than life story, meant to be viewed and enjoyed on the big screen. The OTT release decision is therefore a dampener for viewers, and even more so for theatre-owners in the Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
However, one thing is certain – the OTT release announcement of Narappa has thrown up several questions in the minds of audiences and industry watchers. The primary question at the top of everyone’s minds is this – did the makers, director Srikanth Addala and producers D Suresh Babu and Kalaippuli S Thanu, have no confidence regarding the theatrical success of their film? After all, Narappa is a film that hasn’t sat in the cans for long, unlike long-completed films such as Sooryavanshi, 83, Jagame Thandhiram, etc.
Narappa’s original release date was the very recent 14th May, but was put off owing to the surge in Covid-19 cases. While year-old films such as Marakkar and Sooryavanshi are ready to wait it out for theatres to reopen, what is the hurry for the recently completed Narappa to opt for an OTT release? It’s quite confounding, really.
The makers’ lack of confidence in Narappa’s theatrical release could be due to the fact that it is a remake of an immensely popular film, that is Asuran. Tamil audiences must have already seen the original, and will obviously not visit theatres to watch its remake if it means braving the risk of catching the Coronavirus.
As for the core target of the film – Telugu audiences – well, the extended lockdown and easily availability of films on OTT platforms ensures that non-Tamil-speaking viewers must have also watched the original Asuran – either with subtitles or a dubbed version of the Tamil film. They too may not be very enthusiastic about watching Narappa in the theatres.
An OTT release for Narappa on a top platform such as Amazon Prime Video ensures return on investment as well as a readymade and willing audience for the film. It is no wonder that the producers have gone in for an OTT release for Narappa.
Narappa stars Venkatesh, Priyamani, Karthik Rathnam, Prakash Raj, Murali Sharma and Sampath Raj. It is jointly produced by Kalaipuli S. Thanu and D. Suresh Babu under their respective banners V. Creations and Suresh Productions.
Narappa releases on Amazon Prime Video on 20th July.