Kannappa, the devotional Telugu film directed by Mukesh Kumar Singh and led by Vishnu Manchu, had a rough run at the box office. Released in theatres on 27 June, the movie utterly failed to attract audiences despite its star-studded cast that included Akshay Kumar, Prabhas, Mohanlal, Kajal Aggarwal, Mohan Babu and Sarathkumar. What was envisioned as an epic tale of devotion turned out to be a major disaster on the big screens.
After more than two months, the film is finally set to make its way to OTT this Thursday, 4 September, on Prime Video. The delay has dampened whatever little excitement was left, and the current buzz around the release is extremely low. With online chatter already comparing its fate to that of Hari Hara Veera Mallu, which was trolled heavily after its release, Kannappa may face the same reaction in the digital space.
The film tells the story of Thinnadu, a tribal warrior who transforms from an atheist into an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. While the journey was meant to inspire audiences, the execution failed to strike a chord, and even big names like Akshay Kumar as Shiva and Kajal Aggarwal as Parvati could not save it at the box office.
Having taken over a decade to come to life and finally hitting OTT months after its theatrical release, Kannappa now arrives with little anticipation. All eyes are on whether the streaming release can salvage its reputation, or whether it will only add fuel to the trolling.