The digital world is buzzing with the news that Pawan Kalyan’s upcoming mass entertainer, Ustaad Bhagat Singh, has just pulled off a record-breaking deal even before its theatrical release. According to the latest reports, streaming giant Netflix has reportedly secured the post-theatrical digital rights for a massive INR 80 crore, marking one of the biggest OTT deals for a Telugu film in recent times.
Initially, rumours suggested that the digital rights were heading to Amazon Prime Video. However, Netflix stepped in with a much higher offer to clinch the deal across multiple languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada.
For a film with a reported budget of around INR 150 crore, recovering over INR 80 crore just from OTT rights is a massive win for producers Mythri Movie Makers. It essentially means the film has covered half its production costs before a single ticket has been sold at the box office.
Ustaad Bhagat Singh is an adaptation of the 2016 Tamil hit Theri (led by Vijay). Since the original film has been available on various platforms for years and even had a Hindi remake (Baby John), which flopped badly, there is a question of whether the “freshness” factor will affect digital viewership.
In recent years, the audience reception towards the OG Theri (no pun intended) has grown more positive, which also resulted in the BO failure of Baby John, as the majority of the viewers believed that it didn’t live up to the standards of the 2016 film. The Varun Dhawan starrer even failed to bring massive viewership numbers on OTT. So, it all comes down to how the audience receives Ustaad Bhagat Singh.
A major reason for Netflix’s confidence stems from how They Call Him OG performed. Apart from grossing nearly INR 300 crores at the box office, it also became a massive hit on Netflix, trending in the top charts for weeks across multiple languages.
The high viewership numbers for “OG” proved that Pawan Kalyan’s appeal goes far beyond the traditional Telugu-speaking states. Netflix saw firsthand that his films draw in a pan-India audience, making Ustaad Bhagat Singh a safe bet despite the high price tag.
In addition, Ustaad Bhagat Singh is slated for a grand release on March 26, 2026. It faces stiff competition from other pan-India biggies like Toxic and Dhurandhar 2, which are releasing around the same time. Stay tuned for more updates.