Veerappan The Bandit King OTT release date: When and where to stream Kishore-led series about late forest brigand
Directed by AMR Ramesh, who’d made a film on Veerappan with Kishore, the series is an in-depth exploration of the life and times of the slain forest brigand. Season 1 will have 6 episodes
Last Updated: 09.31 PM, Feb 17, 2026
Kannada filmmaker AMR Ramesh has a few pet subjects – the Rajiv Gandhi killing and its LTTE connect, as well as the late forest brigand Veerappan. Ramesh has made films on both – Cyanide /Kuppi (which won a Karnataka State Film Award for Third Best Film) and Attahasa /Vana Yuddham , respectively. He revisited the Veerappan saga again during the pandemic and began work on a web series spanning 18-19 hours of footage and capturing the sandalwood smuggler’s life from childhood to his eventual encounter.
Veerappan The Bandit King to stream on...
The first season of the series, comprising 6 episodes with a total run-time of 4 and a half hours, is now called Veerappan The Bandit King (from the earlier Veerappan: Hunger for Killing), and has a streaming update. Ramesh’s series had been picked up by the government-run Waves OTT way back in May 2025 and the streamer has now set February 27, 2026 as the date for its premiere. The show will be available with Kannada, Tamil and Hindi audio options.
| TITLE | Veerappan the Bandit King |
| DIRECTOR | AMR Ramesh |
| CAST | Kishore |
| STREAMING PLATFORM | Waves OTT |
| STREAMING DATE | February 27, 2026 |
The first six episodes of the show will start with Veerappan’s childhood and cover his rise as a feared sandalwood smuggler and elephant poacher till 1993, when Karnataka cop Shankar Bidari gets posted to lead the Karnataka state task force against the brigand. Season 2 will cover the 3 years that Shankar Bidari spent in the MM Hills forest range, a time that is mired in controversy over alleged human rights violations.
The third and final season will follow Dr Rajkumar’s kidnapping and Veerappan’s eventual encounter killing in Operation Cocoon. Ramesh has actor Kishore reprising his role as Veerappan. The filmmaker is currently scouting for an actor to play Shankar Bidari’s role, while veteran Hindi actor Suresh Oberoi is expected to reprise his role as the late matinee idol, Dr Rajkumar.
Veerappan The Bandit King FAQs
Q. Who is playing Veerappan in the series Veerappan The Bandit King?
A. Actor Kishore, who played Veerappan in an earlier film, Attahasa/Vana Yuddham, is reprising the role in Veerappan The Bandit King.
Q. Where to watch Veerappan The Bandit King?
A. Season 1 of Veerappan The Bandit King will drop on the government-run Waves OTT on February 27, 2026. It comprises of 6 episodes, each of 45 minute run-time.