When discussing about vigilante action films, Kamal Haasan’s 1996 film ‘Indian’ undoubtedly tops the list. The movie became iconic, not only as the highest-grossing Tamil film of the year but also for its unconventional narrative. It featured a father willing to go to any lengths, including killing those who engaged in illegal activities, even if they were his own son. Directed by S. Shankar, the film’s portrayal of Haasan as an elderly vigilante earned it widespread acclaim and three National Awards, including it’s selection as India’s official entry for an Academy Award in Best Foreign Language Film in 1996 but wasn’t nominated.
Given the success of the original film, there were high expectations for the sequel, ‘Indian 2’. Coming after 26 years, the sequel was anticipated to replicate the success of its predecessor, actually more than that. However, ‘Indian 2’, released on July 12, 2024, received mixed reactions. Critics and audiences compared it unfavorably with the original, citing its outdated screenplay and lack of emotional depth, though Haasan’s performance was still praised. The film’s lengthy run time, initially over three hours, was trimmed to 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Despite a substantial budget of 150-300 crores, ‘Indian 2’ has only grossed 147 crores worldwide, falling short of expectations. In a rare move for such a high-profile film, the makers have announced an OTT release just less than a month of its theatrical debut. Produced by Lyca Productions and Red Giant Movies, ‘Indian 2’ will start streaming on Netflix from August 9, 2024, in multiple languages including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.
Will the OTT release of Kamal Haasan’s ‘Indian 2’ make a difference? With viewers having the comfort of watching from home, the film might achieve what it couldn’t in theaters. Opinions are mixed, but we’ll have to wait and see how it performs on streaming platforms.
The film also stars Siddharth, Rakul Preet Singh, Samuthirakani, Bobby Simha, Priya Bhavani Shankar, SJ Suryah, Vivek, Nedumudi Venu, and others. The plot follows Veerasekaran Senapathy, aka ‘Indian’, who returns to India from abroad after being called back by the youth through social media, which highlights corruption.
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