Kaatera, a film produced by Rockline Venkatesh under his production company Rockline Entertainments and directed by Tharun Kishore Sudhir, was released in cinemas on December 29th of the previous year. It hit the screens just a week after Salaar and emerged as a triumphant success at the box office, providing the much-needed boost for the leading actor Darshan, who had a lackluster start to 2023 with Kranti. The movie enjoyed a successful theatrical run for 50 days before making its way to the OTT platform on February 9th. However, it was only available in its original Kannada version on Zee5.
Tharun had discussed releasing a Tamil and Telugu version of the film before its OTT release, and the dubbing process had already begun. However, this plan did not materialize in the end. Since the film’s debut on OTT, fans from different regions have eagerly anticipated the release of the dubbed versions. Recently, there were reports that Zee5 would launch the Tamil and Telugu audio versions in time for the festive weekend (Eid/Vishu). Despite this, Kaatera remains exclusively in its Kannada version on the platform, leading online users to request that the streamer release the other versions soon. Kaatera marked the collaboration between Tharun Sudhir and Challenging Star Darshan following their successful film Roberrt. This time, Tharun was directing a script by writer-filmmaker Jadesha K Hampi. Having previously co-produced Jadesha’s Guru Shishyaru with actor Sharan, Tharun had a well-established working relationship with the filmmaker. Their joint effort for Darshan’s 56th film, Kaatera, set in the 70s, was a unique blend of content and mass elements, catering to a wide range of audiences.
The movie, featuring Shruthi, Kumar Govind, Rohith Pandavapura, Jagapathi Babu, and others, served as the cinematic introduction of Aradhanaa, the daughter of renowned actress Malashree. Sudhakar was the cinematographer for the V Harikrishna musical.
