From school to college - 5 must-watch youth-oriented Kannada films on OTT

Campus stories have a special place in Kannada cinema, with pretty much every actor worth his/her salt having played a student at some point. While love stories are the most commonly explored subjects in these films, there are exceptions to this norm and here are a few that we think you ought to watch if you haven’t already.

Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare

Debutant director Nithin Krishnamurthy’s irreverent campus comedy follows a bunch of hostel students who must come up with a way to hide the warden’s body, after he commits suicide and leaves note behind blaming them. The film’s content appealed to actor-filmmaker Rakshit Shetty, who presented it in theatres under his banner, Paramvah Studios.

Streaming on: Zee5

Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare review: Self-aware, superbly inventive, but not in its entirety 

Guru Shishyaru

Jadesha K Hampi, who became the talk of town for writing the story of Challenging Star Darshan’s last, Kaatera, had directed a film with Sharan in the lead, about a bunch of youngsters at a school in a remote village and their quest to win a kabbadi tournament. The film had a bunch of star kids onboard, including the children of Sharan, Nenapirali Prem, Bullet Prakash, etc.

Streaming on: Zee5

Guru Shishyaru review: Sharan and the child actors make this classic underdog tale a heart-warming watch 

Sarkari Hiriya Prathamika Shaale

Before he became a national sensation with Kantara, Rishab Shetty had made a socio-political comedy drama about a bunch of children trying to save their Kannada-medium school from being shut in Kasaragod. The film won the National Award for Best Children’s Film.

Streaming on: Sun NXT

Padavi Poorva

Director Hariprasad Jayanna presents a campus story set in the 80s, following a bunch of young PUC students. The film is about friendship and how small conflicts cause tensions between them. Whether or not they can overcome this and put their group back together forms the crux of the tale.

Streaming on: Sun NXT

Gantumoote

Directed by Roopa Rao, Gantumoote is a coming-of-age tale following the protagonist, a 16-year-old high school student, her tryst with love and more. The story is told from the perspective of the female protagonist, played by Teju Belawadi.

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video

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