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OPINION: Why does Netflix not have Kannada movies on its platform, with Srii Murali starrer Bagheera set to be the first?
As Srii Murali starrer Bagheera is set to become the first Kannada movie to arrive on Netflix, why has the OTT platform not had any Kannada content for all these years?
Netflix is usually known for providing entertainment to its subscribers in high volume with movies and web series from across the world. The OTT platform which is popular worldwide has a huge range of content in multiple languages but not Kannada.
Netflix does not contain any movies or web series in Kannada. With the makers of Bagheera already announcing that the movie would become the first Kannada venture to appear on Netflix, why is it that the OTT platform has been reluctant to introduce the same until now?
Why hasn't Netflix streamed Kannada content until now?
The Kannada cinema has been flourishing over the last few years, especially with movies like KGF and Kantara becoming some of the prominent names to come out of the industry. With such films making it big in the Indian and international markets, Kannada cinema is yet to gain the prominence of getting streamed on the OTT giant like Netflix.
Check out the trailer for Kantara:
While the above-mentioned movies are available to watch on Amazon Prime Video, Netflix has only recently announced their first Kannada movie to be included on their streaming platform. In light of the same, it’s fair to remember a comment made by Rishab Shetty back in the day.
In an old interview, while talking with reporters at IFFI 2023, the Kantara actor-director disclosed how filmmakers from Kannada have to still “fight” to get their movies on OTT. This may be the result of the presumed low viewership of general Kannada movies and the lack of demand amongst Netflix subscribers for the content.
Similar to many businesses, the basic economics of Netflix and its model of presenting a product is that of supply and demand. Despite the abundance of Kannada content within the industry, the demand for the same by the subscribers needs to grow in numbers if they desire to present the kind of movies and web series they have.
With the relative number of people who watch content in Kannada being less than that of Tamil, Hindi, and Telugu, the demand for the same is yet to reach the same level for the former. Then again, a question may arise on the fact why Malayalam cinema is acquired by these OTT giants more. This is where the diverse nature of content in the film industry comes into play.
While many artists in the Kannada film industry have strived to create diverse content, the biggest stars of the industry still tend to stick to one kind of genre or make content based on pre-existing formulas.
The repetitive nature of the film industry in presenting their superstars in a single narrative may be appreciated by hardcore fans but does not apply to the general audience nor the subscribers in such an OTT space. The lack of originality or rather not appreciating the same among the Kannada audience tends to make the wheel of entertainment go cyclic with exceptional creators making something great once in a while.
While Malayalam cinema, even if having a lesser budget for making, tries to strive to experiment with genres and presentations. This does not only apply to newcomers to the industry but is also well-established amongst the superstars.
Figuring out the right amount of balance between experimental films and commercial movies is what the Kannada film industry needs to focus on. In an evolving scenario of content distribution, traditional methods may not suffice especially not having the diversity to cater to the wide range of Netflix subscribers.
Furthermore, the Kannada film industry also got into the game of dubbing movies late as compared to other film industries. With multiple movies from different languages arriving to be watched anywhere in the world, they are also provided with quality dubbing but the same cannot be said about Kannada dubbing. As there is a lack of genuinely good voice actors and dubbing artists in Kannada, the dubbed versions of the same might also not reach the right demographic of the audience.
Why is Srii Murali’s Bagheera set to make history as the first Kannada movie on Netflix?
Bagheera is a superhero movie that features Ugramm star Srii Murali playing the lead role, based on a story written by KGF’s Prashanth Neel. Despite the movie having a slow start at the box office, the film has once again stood tall amongst other general content from Kannada cinema by appealing to a much more quality-driven making.
Check out the trailer for Bagheera:
The film directed by Dr Suri has been garnering quite positive reviews from the audience and critics. The dark tone of the movie featuring the tale of a vigilante hero has struck a chord with the audience making it a quality experience for them and additionally, it is also said to have been well-executed.
Acknowledging all these factors, it seems only fair that a movie like Bagheera would be acquired by Netflix to be presented online. The threshold of quality and the diversity of the movie is what counts here which is comparatively better than the previous content.
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