ZEE5 to premiere Telugu film ‘Karthikeya 2’
PremiumThe mystery thriller that had released in cinemas this August had emerged as a surprise hit in the Hindi belt.
NEW DELHI: ZEE5, the video streaming platform owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, will premiere Karthikeya 2, a Telugu film written and directed by Chandoo Mondeti starring Nikhil Siddharth and Anupama Parameswaran on 5 October. The movie will premiere on the platform in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi languages. The mystery thriller that had released in cinemas this August had emerged as a surprise hit in the Hindi belt, making over ₹30 crore from the dubbed version.
“The film is relatable with strong performances, high level animation bundled with a storyline that is a combination of mythology and modern science. Telugu is an important market for us and we have been consistent in expanding our presence in this market and will continue to bolster our Telugu content funnel with relatable and quality content," Manish Kalra, chief business officer, ZEE5 India, said in a statement.
Movies in the four south Indian languages, particularly Tamil and Telugu, including their dubbed Hindi versions, are bringing big returns for streaming platforms, contributing 10-25% to overall viewership, following the trend of their popularity on satellite television.
While niche, experimental films have been discovered beyond their home states, mass-market offerings starring actors like Dhanush, Rajinikanth, Allu Arjun on platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar and MX Player have also grabbed eyeballs, as families come together to watch stars.
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Tamil film Jagame Thandhiram on Netflix, for instance, drew an equal share of audience from outside India as it attracted from within the country. The Dhanush-starrer has been in the top 10 row in 12 countries outside India and has been number one in the top 10 row in seven countries, including India, Malaysia and the UAE. It was subtitled and dubbed in multiple Indian and other languages, including English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.
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