Kaatera OTT release date – Challenging Star Darshan’s blockbuster's streaming confirmed

It’s been known that Challenging Star Darshan’s Kaatera will head to Zee Network for its satellite and digital outings following the theatrical run, as the deal was inked even before the Tharun Kishore Sudhir film released. The question was whether Kaatera would be on OTT within 30 days as has been the case with a lot of other films, or if the platform would hold out for another two weeks or so and make it a birthday special for the superstar on February 16.

Zee5, though, has opted for February 9 as the streaming premiere of Kaatera in the Kannada version only. There were reports that the team was looking at releasing the Tamil and Telugu versions shortly for which the censor process had been started. But there’s been no update on that front yet. It is believed that Darshan’s personal issues, owing to which the film’s success meet had to be cancelled in the last minute, could prevent an other-language release at this stage.

Kaatera press meet cancelled; Online tussle between Darshan’s wife and alleged partner to blame? 

Also, in the past the actor had made it clear that he will not travel to other cities to promote his films and that what he makes are hard-core Kannada movies. This statement had affected the planned pan-India release of Kranti earlier. And while Kaatera was only to be a Kannada release initially, its positive showing at the box office bolstered the confidence of the makers to take it across the border as well. It remains to be seen if they will release it in Tamil or Telugu.

Kaatera review - Challenging Star Darshan is solid, effective in Tharun Sudhir's well-meaning film

Kaatera, meanwhile, was widely lauded as the film that brought Darshan the performer back, after years and years of him doing routine commercial entertainers. The film was written by director Tharun along with Jadesha K Hampi, who’d made Guru Shishyaru and Gentleman earlier. When the story was put together, Tharun was not sure if Darshan would agree to do it, as it seemed too out-of-the-box for him, but he did and even convinced Rockline Venkatesh to back it. Kaatera was initially meant to be produced by Umapathy Srinivas, but then the actor had a falling out with him and then Venkatesh came into the picture.

A period film set in the 70s, Kaatera’s main plot revolved around the land reform Bill of that era, and had Darshan as a blacksmith, fighting for the rights of the people in his village, who had been oppressed by the local landlord. Kaatera was the big hit that ended the year on a good note for Kannada cinema.