Netflix to stream new show ‘Rana Naidu’ on 10 March

American streaming service Netflix has said that its new show Rana Naidu starring Telugu actor Venkatesh and his real-life nephew and actor Rana Daggubati, will premiere on 10 March. The series is an official adaptation of the American crime drama Ray Donovan.

Produced by Sunder Aaron of Locomotive Global Media LLP, Rana Naidu will be directed by Karan Anshuman and Suparn Verma. The plot will follow the life of Rana Naidu, a professional fixer for Bollywood and Mumbai’s elite.

To be sure, while Hindi-speaking audiences had been exposed to southern cinema via satellite television for more than a decade, those films largely belonged to the mainstream action and comedy genres. Media industry experts say OTT platforms have opened the doors for more story-centric films and shows. On OTT, the audience watching south films is more from the bigger cities, and hence, a diverse set of genres, including emotional dramas and family films, are working well across streaming services.

Movies in the four South Indian languages, particularly Tamil and Telugu (including their dubbed Hindi versions), are now bringing big returns for streaming platforms, contributing to 10-25% of overall viewership.

By partnering with the Indian film industry, through original and licensing of content, streaming services have provided an additional method for exhibition of films, Pratiksha Rao, former director, films and licensing, Netflix India had said in an earlier interview.

The platform’s Tamil anthology film Navarasa was in the Top 10 in 10 countries including India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. In its first week on Netflix, more than 40% of the viewers for the film came from outside India. Likewise, in its first week alone, Dhanush- starrer Jagame Thandhiram drew an equal share of audience from outside India as it did within the country. In the last one year, Nayattu (Malayalam), Andhaghaaram (Tamil), Pitta Kathalu (Telugu) Paava Kadhaigal (Tamil), Cinema Bandi (Telugu) and Mandela (Tamil) have all featured in the Top 10 on Netflix in India.