Skanda on OTT: Where Telugu cinema’s finest dancers Ram Pothineni, Sreeleela grooved together

Skanda, the action entertainer directed by mass film specialist Boyapati Sreenu, was one of the most anticipated releases this year, arriving right after the latter’s blockbuster Akhanda. The film, which hit screens across multiple languages, was produced by Srinivasaa Chitturi under Srinivasaa Silver Screen. It featured Ram Pothineni, Sreeleela, Saiee Manjrekar in key roles and was out on September 28.

Nearly a month after its theatrical release, the film’s now out on Disney+ Hotstar. The leading streaming platform decided to premiere the actioner earlier this week on November 2, Thursday. While the film received unfavourable reviews, it opened well at the box office. However, it couldn’t sustain its momentum owing to poor responses on crowds. Not much has changed on OTT either.

While Skanda may not boast a great plot, it has brought together two of the finest contemporary dancers in Telugu cinema - Ram and Sreeleela. With S Thaman as the composer, audiences got to watch the duo in full-form in two numbers - Nee Chuttu Chuttu and Gandarabai. Nee Chuttu Chuttu gained popularity right before release while Gandarabai’s beat is equally infectious.

Also read: Sreeleela: Skanda opened me to a new school of filmmaking, Boyapati Sreenu extracted my best

Both the songs are of different styles. While Nee Chuttu Chuttu has an urban flavour, unfolds in a pub, Gandarabai gives a folksy twist to a fast-paced number. S Thaman and Sreeleela had even sung Nee Chuttu.. in Skanda’s promotional event and wowed crowds. Sid Sriram, Sanjana Kalmanje originally crooned for Nee Chuttu with lyrics by Raghuram and choreography by Prem Rakshith.

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Nakash Aziz and Telugu Indian Idol find Soujanya Bhagavatula had sung for Gandarabai, written by Anantha Sriram. Skanda was Ram Pothineni’s second film for Srinivasaa Silver Screen after Lingusamy’s The Warriorr, a Tamil-Telugu bilingual. The OTT rights of both the films are interestingly in the hands of Disney+ Hotstar. Ram will next be seen in Puri Jagannadh’s Double iSmart.

Also read: Skanda on OTT: Was Ram Pothineni, Sreeleela’s film inspired by the Satyam scam?