Raakshasa out on OTT: Vijay Raghavendra’s investigation of a series of murders is now streaming

The fourth Kannada original series that Zee5 has commissioned, Raakshasa , is now available to stream on the platform (available via OTTplay Premium also). Directed by Suhan Prasad, who produced Raj B Shetty’s breakout film Ondu Motteya Kathe, and produced by Tharun Sudhir, known for films like Chowka , Roberrt and Kaatera , the 7-episode show is led by Vijay Raghavendra. He is joined by MS Jahangir, Appanna Ramadurga, Avinash Yelandur, Abhijit Rao, Hulugappa Kattimani, Mahadev Hadapad, among others. Each episode is around 20-25 minutes in run-time.

Is Raakshasa a remake?

Raakshasa, meanwhile, is the Kannada adaptation of the Tamil original thriller series Vilangu , which came out in 2022 and received fairly positive reviews. The show was subsequently remade in Hindi as Janaawar: The Beast Within and now comes to Kannada. In an early interaction with the media, Zee5 Kannada Business Head Deepak Sriramulu had spoken about not only dabbling with different genres in the approved lineup of shows, but to also capture a slice of Karnataka each time, by setting the shows in different parts of the state. While Shodha was set in Madikeri, Raakshasa heads to north Karnataka.

Also read: Raakshasa on OTT: Tharun Sudhir on why he felt the show should be set in north Karnataka 

Vijay Raghavendra is SI Hanumappa, at a station where a lot of missing cases are reported, with the last recorded location of some near the river bank, leading to speculation that they may have been unfortunate victims of a bloodthirsty crocodile. When they recover body parts with obvious bite marks from the river, the first impression is, of course, a crocodile attack. But when the pathologist points out that there are wounds inflicted by man-made objects, the investigation takes a different turn.

Zee5 Kannada’s original series kicked off with Ayyana Mane in April last year. The Kushee Ravi led show was directed by Ramesh Indira. This was followed by Shodha, a thriller that was a remake, but a better one than the original, directed by Sunil Mysuru, with actor-director Pawan Kumar serving as script doctor. The last one before Raakshasa was Maarigallu, produced by PRK Productions and directed by Devaraj Poojary, who’d made the thriller Matsyagandha earlier.

Raakshasa FAQs

Q. When and where to stream Raakshasa?

A. The new Kannada web series Raakshasa is streaming on Zee5 from February 20, 2026. It is available on OTTplay Premium also.

Q. Who is on the cast and crew of Raakshasa?

A. As per the announcement teaser, filmmaker Tharun Sudhir has produced Raakshasa. Although the cast has not been revealed, Vijay Raghavendra is said to be headlining the show.