It was with much fanfare that Sathya Jyothi Films launched their next big film, ‘Maaran’. The combination of star Dhanush and writer – director Karthick Naren in Maaran had everyone salivating at the prospect of watching the film on the big screen. Which is why the latest news doing the rounds of social media has shocked everyone into disbelief. As per several industry trackers, Dhanush’s ‘Maaran‘ is skipping theatres and opting to release directly on OTT. Disney Plus Hotstar is said to have grabbed the film for a Pongal release on its platform.
If the news does turn out to be true, it will be the third Dhanush film back to back, to skip theatres and release on OTT. The much-talked-about ‘Jagame Thandhiram’ released straight on Netflix in May. Bollywood film ‘Atrangi Re’, which stars Akshay Kumar and Sara Ali Khan along with Dhanush, has already announced its plans to release directly on a streaming platform. Now, news about ‘Maaran’ hitting OTT directly too is buzzing strongly.
‘Maaran’ is a crime and action thriller, at present in its final stages of production. The film features pretty actress Malavika Mohanan in the lead, alongside Dhanush. Mahendran, Samuthirakani, Smruthi Venkat, Jaya Prakash, Krishna Kumar and Master Mahendran make up the rest of the cast.
Interestingly, as news of ‘Maaran’ going straight to digital began circulating in media and entertainment circles, so did news of another upcoming Dhanush starrer. Recently announced Sun Pictures’ film ‘Thiruchitrambalam’ is also said to be skipping theatres and landing on Sun TV plus a simultaneous digital release. The film stars Raashi Khanna, Priya Bhavani Shankar and Nithya Menen as Dhanush’s three leading ladies. The three play the love interests of Dhanush’s character in different stages of his life, from youth to adulthood.
If both aforementioned news turn out to be true, it will be four of Dhanush films skipping theatrical release and going for a digital/hybrid release. What effect will this have on Dhanush’s star power is something no one can say for certain. But yes, it will definitely dent his cinematic charisma somewhat.
Add to this the fact that Dhanush will also soon be seen in a purely digital release, Netflix’s ‘The Gray Man’, and it seems as if Dhanush is on his way to becoming a legit OTT star.
Let’s wait and watch on which side the coin falls. Stay tuned to Binged.com for further updates on ‘Maaran’ release details.