Junior on OTT: Tentative streaming date of Kireeti Reddy’s debut film revealed?

There’s been a lot of speculation surrounding the OTT release of Kireeti Reddy’s debut film, Junior. The Radhakrishna Reddy directorial had hit theatres on July 18, in a direct clash with Yuva Rajkumar’s Ekka. A Kannada-Telugu bilingual, Junior tanked in the Kannada version, but was fairly well received in Telugu. Even then, it ended its theatrical after only a couple of weeks, reportedly, well short of break even. The film is said to have been made at a budget of around Rs 25 cr.

Junior to be on two platforms?

By the end of July there were a buzz that Junior was set to drop on OTT. Amazon Prime Video, it was said, had picked up the streaming rights, but there was no sign of the film. Throughout August, several dates were speculated, but yet again, the film failed to make an appearance on the streamer. This, then, led to further rumours that the OTT rights had, perhaps, not been sold after all. The latest, though, is that the makers have non-exclusive deals with not one, but two platforms. According to this buzz, Junior will make it to both Prime Video and aha Telugu on September 19. Official confirmations are expected shortly.

Junior was launched nearly 4 years ago with Kireeti and Sreeleela in the lead. The film was also meant to mark Genelia Deshmukh’s return to cinema, but then there were inordinate delays in the making, including a long break after Kireeti injured himself. By the time they reconvened and finished the film, Sreeleela was one of the most popular actresses in Telugu cinema and her eventual absence in crucial parts of Junior became palpable.

Also read: Junior movie review: Kireeti Reddy makes quite the impression in film that’s not the most original

The team had done very limited publicity in the run-up to the release and Sreeleela did even less, stating that she’s “just there” in the film. In fact, barring the viral Viral Vayyari song, which was a much later addition, the actress does not feature in the second half at all. The film, meanwhile, revolves around Kireeti’s character Abhi and his relationship with his father, played by V Ravichandran.

FAQs

Q. Who is Kireeti Reddy?

A. Kireeti Reddy is the son of Ballari-based politician and mining baron, Gaali Janardhan Reddy.

Q. Is Junior a hit?

A. Junior is said to have been made at a budget of Rs 25 crore, with trackers estimating that it made around Rs 7.65 cr in theatrical revenue. While the Telugu-Kannada bilingual was not a box office success, Kireeti received praise for his efforts in the film.