Must-see Kannada movies and shows releasing this week: Available on OTT and theatres

The last two weeks of July have been phenomenal for Kannada cinema, what with audiences lapping up some of the major releases like Hostel Hudugaru Bekagiddare. Aachar & Co and Kousalya Supraja Rama doing well at the box office and ending the spell of drought that lasted well over six months. This week, there are two other films heading to theatres and while there aren’t any direct Kannada shows heading our way this week, there are a couple of dubbed titles that may be of interest.

Namo Bhoothathma 2

10 years after popular choreographer Murali master turned director with Namo Bhoothathma, the Kannada remake of the Tamil film Yaamirukka Bayamey, he returns with a sequel, Namo Bhoothathma 2. This time around, Murali has chosen to go with an original script, but has returned to collaborate with his trusted leading man, Sensational Star Komal Kumar. The film, like the earlier one, is a horror comedy and follows the paranormal activities that unfold when a group lands at a house in Chikkamagaluru.

Sheela

Ragini Dwivedi returns to the big screen after four years with the Kannada-Malayalam bilingual Sheela. Written and directed by Balu Narayanan, the film has the actress playing a single mother from Bengaluru, who faces a series of obstacles when she attempts to sell ancestral property in Kerala left behind by her late husband. The story unfolds between Karnataka and Kerala. The film was to have opened in theatres on Jully 28 and while the Malayalam version made it, the Kannada one was advanced by a week, owing to censor delays.

The Hunt for Veerappan

Netflix’s latest documentary is a four-part series by debutant filmmaker Selvamani Selvaraj, delving into the rise and eventual death of forest brigand Veerappan. A dreaded smuggler, Veerappan not only evaded capture for two decades, but also unleashed terror on those in his pursuit, killing over 100 police and forest officials in the process. The documentary will be available in Kannada.

Dhoomam

Director Pawan Kumar’s dream of making a film on the perils of smoking came to fruition years after he’d first envisioned it, when Hombale Films came onboard to back his idea. But with the banner pursuing a collaboration with Mollywood actor Fahadh Faasil, Pawan had to make the film, which he’d planned on calling C10H14N2, as a Malayalam movie Dhoomam. Released in June in theatres, the film, though, did not strike a chord with audiences and was, subsequently, picked up by Amazon Prime Video for post-theatrical striking. While a late July date was first reported, there was no confirmation from the platform, and the latest buzz is that it will drop on August 4. The film, of course, has a Kannada-dubbed version.