PremiumJuni OTT release date – Pruthvi Ambaar-Rishika Naik’s film on dissociative identity disorder streaming now
Debutant director Vaibhav Mahadev's film Juni, based on a real-life person, explored dissociative identity disorder in detail, but was, in the process, a tad short on entertainment.
Last Updated: 01.32 PM, Apr 09, 2024
In February this year, Pruthvi Ambaar was in a peculiar situation. He had not one or two, but three film releases lined up, with two coming out on the same day. He began the year with a romantic film with a twist called Juni. Directed by Vaibhav Mahadev, Juni, which paired Pruthvi with Rishika Naik, was more of an exploration of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) than a romantic drama.
In the film, Rishika’s character Juni, based on a real-life person, is the one experiencing DID, and how she then gets into a relationship with Partha (Pruthvi). Whether or not their bond weathers the ups and downs that come with her condition forms the crux of Juni.
The film had received positive reviews, but suffered at the box office, as it was one of several releases in the week and month. It has, however, managed to find a spot on OTT and is now available to stream. Juni has been picked up by Amazon Prime Video, one of the few platforms that does occasionally favour Kannada cinema.
Vaibhav’s directorial debut put the spotlight firmly on the disorder and its trigger points, but in doing so compromised on the entertainment quotient. The filmmaker had based the film on his personal interactions with the real-life Juni.
Pruthvi subsequently had two more releases, Matsyagandha and For Regn, both of which are also yet to make it to OTT. His next theatrical release will probably be Bhuvanam Gaganam, a film in which he plays a differently-abled character. The travel-based film also has Pramod and Rachel David (Love Mocktail 2) on the cast.
The actor, who found fame after Dia and has had a slew of films lined up since then, has been vocal about the fear at the back of his mind that a career in acting will be sustainable only if he delivers a commercial success soon.