It was with much fanfare that homegrown streaming giant SonyLIV announced the premiere of Tamil film ‘Nasir’ on its platform. Fans were overjoyed at the prospect of watching the critically acclaimed and much-awarded film on OTT. Nasir was to release on SonyLIV on May 6. The film has been a darling of the festival circuit, and has received rave reviews from audiences and critics alike.
Nasir was to release on SonyLIV on May 6. Well, May 6 is here, and the day is almost gone now. But Nasir is nowhere to be seen on SonyLIV. Apparently, SonyLIV has delayed the release of the film, with no reason being given and no notice whatsoever. Looks like SonyLIV has caught this bug from Netflix, which has similarly delayed films in the past without notice.
SonyLIV delaying Nasir makes us wonder – is it because of the religion thread that runs through the core of the film? On the surface, Nasir captures an ordinary day in the life of ordinary sari salesman Nasir (Valavane Koumarane). But scratch beneath the surface, and you find that Nasir casts a harsh eye on the rising communal bigotry and Hindu nationalism in the country.
In recent times, social media in the country has been in the grip of an intense debate on perceived Hindi imposition, North – South and Hindu – Muslim debates, and increased social media activism.
Perhaps, SonyLIV thought it best not to release Nasir just yet, in the middle of this politically charged atmosphere. Whatever the reason may be, audiences have been deprived of the joy of watching a well-made, well-conceived film by SonyLIV’s delay of Nasir.
Tamil film Nasir has been directed by Arun Karthick. It stars Koumarane Valavane, Yasmin Rahman, Sudha Ranganathan and Sabari in pivotal roles.