Royal out on OTT: Viraat’s film with Dinakar Thoogudeepa is streaming on THIS platform

Kannada actor Viraat, who debuted with 2019’s Kiss, opposite Sreeleela, got his sophomore film a good 5 years later, albeit as part of a 5-movie deal with the reputed production and distribution banner, Jayanna Films. Called Royal, the film was directed by Dinakar Thoogudeepa, who was returning to direction after 2018’s Life Jothe Ond Selfie, and paired Viraat with Sanjana Anand. Released in theatres on January 24, Royal received middling reviews and did not shine at the box office.

Also read: Royal’s Dinakar Thoogudeepa on the challenges of casting first and then deciding the script 

Royal streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Royal became the second Kannada film of 2025 to begin streaming as of March 7. The film is currently on Amazon Prime Video on pay-per-view basis. The platform remains among the few that still accepts Kannada content, but not with outright purchases.

Royal is a film that Dinakar did because he was to collaborate with Jayanna Films on a film with the late Power Star Puneeth Rajkumar. But since that did not pan out and he had a commitment with the banner, he was requested to direct a film for Viraat. The filmmaker, who has always cast actors based on the script requirement, saw this as a challenge, and figured out a story that would suit Viraat, with just enough commercial elements to give his career a boost, but definitely not overdoing it.

Dinakar’s brief was clear – to try and make a star out of Viraat – but ended up making a film that was dubbed a mish-mash of several age-old Kannada movies, lending it no special identity. Raghu Mukherjee was cast as the antagonist, while Achyuth Kumar played Viraat’s dad and Chaya Singh his mother.

Also read: Dinakar Thoogudeepa: ‘Royal is a commercial entertainer that revolves around a mother-son bond’ | Exclusive 

In the film, Viraat plays Krishna, a con artist who discovers he is the sole heir to a business empire, which Dinakar had explained as a commercial entertainer that hinges on a mother-son relationship. During the promotions of Royal, much of the talking points revolved around the filmmaker’s relationship with his brother Darshan Thoogudeepa and their early years, rather than the merits of the film. Eventually, when Royal failed at the box office, the team blamed an anti-Darshan campaign for it.