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Kannada film ‘Bagheera’ goes global as OTT giant Netflix acquires it for broadcast, release date ahead

South Indian superstar, Sriimurali is all set to make his superhero film Bagheera debut on the OTT platform. The Srimurali starrer is a much-awaited movie among fans who have been eagerly waiting for Bagheera to arrive on Netflix on November 21, 2024. The pre-release trader has become a record for Kannada cinema, as Bagheera is the first Kannada movie to book streaming right with a global OTT platform. Directed by Dr Suri the film will be released in four languages, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam.

A Box-Office Hit Born Of International Appeal

The Kannada film was met was enthusiasm and a hit box office as ‘Bagheera’ hit the theatres during the Diwali Carnival 2024 season. Despite clashing with other major releases, Bagheera secured a strong position among audiences. The film garnered appreciation from critics as well as audiences, generating Rs 31 crore worldwide by November 20th, 2024 including Rs 18 crore collected from the domestic box office. Created on a low budget, Bagheera became a hit. Meanwhile, the success of its theatrical run made it possible for Bagheera to be released on Netflix on November 21.

Netflix announced the release by stating, "Veeraru inna kalpanikaralla. Ooralli ondu hosa veera bandidane, avana hesare…Bagheera Watch Bagheera on Netflix, out 21 November in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam!". The film has been released in Kannada and Telugu and soon it will be dubbed in Tamil and Malayalam also.

A Unique Superhero Storyline

Moreover, the movie is written by  KGF and Salaar fame, Prashanth Neel revolves around the story of Vedanth Prabhakar, played by Sriimurali. Neel aspires to become a superhero but instead becomes an IPS officer fighting organised crimes. However, when he lacks superpowers he dons the guise of Bagheera to fight organized crime, especially the black market in organ trading.

The film comprises a talented starring Rukmini Vasanth, Prakash Raj, Achyuth Kumar, Sudha Rani and Ramachandra Raju. Arjun Shetty has given stunning visuals for the movie while B. Ajaneesh Loknath gives eye-popping music for the film.

A Landmark for Kannada Cinema

The debut of Bagheera on Netflix also proves the fact that Kannada cinema is slowly coming to the forefront. It lays the groundwork for more Kannada movies to get global exposure which was earlier restricted to Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam content. With its success, Bagheera sets the stage to engage the audience for Kannada cinema, thereby opening up new horizons for the business. The November 21 release of Bagheera on Netflix gives a new dawn for Kannada cinema in the era of video streaming services to woo the global audience.