In a major breakthrough for Kannada cinema, Pawan Kumar’s “U-Turn” is all set to become the first Kannada film to be released on Netflix worldwide.
In a happy Facebook post, Pawan said that after his attempt to get Netflix to host “Lifeu Ishtene” failed about four years ago, he was finally successful with U-Turn.
“4 years and 6 months later, we have now licensed Netflix to host our film for 3 years. And based on demand, it can be renewed for longer periods,” he said on Facebook.
The young filmmaker added that the film will be available on Netflix from September in 70 million homes and in 27 international languages. According to a New Indian Express report by A Sharadhaa, the film will also be upgraded to 5.1 surround sound to make it more compatible on home theatre systems.
Pawan emphasized that this was a major leap for Kannada cinema because if Netflix saw an audience for it, they would look to commission other formats in Kannada as well, such as short films, series and so on.
From the revenue point of view as well, Pawan wrote, this would open new options for Kannada filmmakers. “Now Kannada producers can bank on another revenue generating source, while the audience have it all very easy,” he wrote.
Apart from Netflix, Pawan said that the Kannada version of “U-Turn” will be available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Youtube and Vimeo and Zee Kannada.
A mystery thriller starring Sharada Srinath as a crime reporter, the film was shot in Bengaluru with the Double Road flyover as the backdrop.