Exclusive! Vijay Raghavendra is a crime branch officer in his first Kannada web series, Hakuna Matata

Kannada cinema’s Chinnari Mutha, Vijay Raghavendra, is making baby steps in the OTT space. The actor has been working on his first Kannada web series, the title of which was announced yesterday. Called Hakuna Matata, the crime thriller is being directed by Malgudi Days director Kishor Moodbidri and produced by Rathnakar Kamath as a Talkies App original production.

“Hakuna Matata is being made by the same team behind my film Malgudi Days. This crime thriller is being planned as an eight-episode show to be streamed on Talkies App. I play a crime branch officer on the show, which will also star Kannadathi fame Ranjani Raghavan and Hoomale star Chandana Ananthakrishna, among many others. The streaming date for Hakuna Matata has not been confirmed yet, although the platform is slated to launch its Kannada portfolio shortly,” says Vijay.

As someone who has only been doing films so far, what are Vijay’s thoughts on foraying into the OTT scene? “OTT content gives us enough scope to reach out to certain number of people, as it has a target audience. And given proper luck, it may even stretch beyond the target audience, which will depend on the content that we offer. With regard to Hakuna Matata, I don’t even feel a difference with regard to its making, vis a vis that of a film, as they are doing it with equal interest,” adds Vijay.

Kannada content on OTT, though, has been under-explored and the actor is now contributing towards rectifying that. Also, a lot more exclusive platforms for Kannada content are on the anvil. “I feel positive about this development. It’s always been the case that the Kannada industry catches up a little late, be it the genre of filmmaking, technology or reach with people. I hope this time it is not as late as it has always been. We will definitely be able to get the attention of people in the right way. And now that I have made baby steps in the OTT space, I would like to explore it more, as it gives me the chance to prepare myself for production and direction. It will happen eventually,” he signs off.