OTT Round Up – Ramyug Is A Contemporary Take On Ramayana For Gen. X, Salman Khan’s Radhe All Set For A Record Opening Digitally

By Joginder Tuteja

It was a busy week for the world of OTT as number of web series streamed across different platforms. The biggest of them all was Ramyug which streamed on MX Player. The promo had pretty much set the expectations that this would be special as other than the VFX, the scale and grandeur was also noticed. This is what unfolded when the entire series was also unveiled as it boasted of the kind of narrative that had a contemporary treatment to it, and not the kind which one usually associates with a legendary tale like this told on the small screen.

Considering the fact that Kunal Kohli is the director, there is a definite style quotient also in there which differentiates it from the rest. It is apparent that Kunal and MX Player had a vision to reach out to Gen. X through this web series, which hasn’t been exposed to this tale, unlike the 80s or the 90s kids. The choice of actors only consolidated it further as many came from the world of films, and that made the whole experience very different and unique for those who wanted to check out what new was in this story that dates thousands of years back.

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Meanwhile, Disney+Hotstar came up with a series of shows under its Quix category. These are basically web series that have multiple episodes which last just 10 minutes each. While that’s understandable for the segment of audiences who wish to catch it during their transition time period (read, commuters), in the current times when the country is under lockdown, one would have rather watched the episodes in quick succession. In fact they also have a strategy to release one episode every day which is actually more of a put off than an attraction.

Though the choice of subjects is good as it varies from Murder Meri Jaan, Teen Do Paanch, Hamara Bar Happy Hour, Bamini and Boys and Mukesh Jasoos, it is still not too late to actually unveil all episodes in one go. That would make the whole series watching experience only better and make one appreciate the content in its truest form.

Coming soon

The ‘baap of all entertainment’, Radhe, is finally arriving this week on Eid. While the film will also release in select theatres in India (where there is no lockdown or restrictions) and would have a good worldwide release (especially in UAE, US and UK), it would be the OTT and DTH release in India that would be observed quite prominently.

Really, the Salman Khan starrer is the biggest release of 2021 so far, and in the OTT space, it is the biggest since Akshay Kumar’s Laxmii and Varun Dhawan’s Coolie No. 1 last year. Both these films set records on their respective platforms on release [Disney+Hotstar and Amazon Prime] and then went on to do exceedingly well on satellite premiere as well. Now with Radhe coming in with all around positive vibe, especially amongst its target audiences, ZEE Studios has all the right reasons to believe that the film will set records on ZEE Plex and ZEE5.

There is a lot which is going in a positive direction for this Prabhudeva directed action entertainer. Salman Khan is looking in great form, Disha Patani is giving him great company and Randeep Hooda is being a stylish villain with swag. Moreover, each of the three songs that has been released, ‘Seeti Maar’, ‘Dil De Diya’ and ‘Radhe Title Track’, has emerged as a chartbuster. The mini-dialogue promos that have been unveiled in the last few days have met with a very positive response as well which means this Eid would be special for the viewers.

There is also a supernatural murder mystery thriller The Last Hour which is releasing on Amazon Prime the day after Radhe’s release. Starring Sanjay Kapoor in the lead along with Karma Takapa and Shahana Goswami, it boasts of an intriguing promo and should be grabbed by those who follow the genre. Surprisingly, the promotion has been very low key for this web series and one just hopes that the final product is good enough to see word of mouth take it through.

Release dates

Radhe – ZEE Plex, ZEE5 – 13th May

The Last Hour – Amazon Prime – 14th May

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Stay tuned for more updates.