This week’s South and regional OTT slate brings together myth, morality, crime, folklore, and social realism in equal measure. From spiritually charged fantasy dramas and hard-hitting police procedurals to female-led thrillers and village-set satires, these releases reflect the breadth and ambition of regional storytelling today. Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Bengali narratives converge to explore questions of justice, faith, power, caste, and conscience—often through genre frameworks that blend spectacle with introspection.
Mark – January 23 (JioHotstar) A gritty, high-octane Kannada action thriller, Mark follows Ajay Markandaya, a volatile Superintendent of Police sidelined due to rising violence across Karnataka. Over the course of a single
relentless day, Mark is pulled back into duty when a massive child-abduction racket surfaces, with over twenty missing children linked to organised crime.
The case turns deeply personal when Mark’s mother is assaulted and a child under her care is kidnapped, forcing him to operate outside protocol. As he plunges into Bengaluru’s criminal underbelly, Mark confronts drug kingpin Bhadra and a ruthless political heir manipulating the chaos for power. Blending procedural urgency with “mass” action sensibilities, the film examines systemic rot, moral compromise, and redemption under extreme pressure.
Sirai – January 23 (ZEE5)
Set in 2003 against the backdrop of post-riot tensions, Sirai is a restrained yet powerful Tamil crime drama. Kathiravan, a reserve police constable, is assigned to escort Abdul Rauf, an undertrial prisoner, from Vellore jail to Sivagangai court. What begins as a routine transfer slowly transforms into an ethical reckoning.
Over a long bus journey, Kathiravan uncovers Abdul’s harrowing story—a man imprisoned for years without legal representation, abandoned by both family and system. As the film peels back layers of judicial apathy, religious bias, and institutional cruelty, Kathiravan is forced to choose between obedience to duty and moral courage. The result is an emotionally charged examination of justice, empathy, and quiet resistance.
45 – January 23 (ZEE5)
In the Kannada fantasy-action drama 45, Vinay, a mild-mannered software engineer, has his life upended by a freak accident involving a stray dog at a Bangalore traffic signal. Instead of immediate death, he is granted a terrifying reprieve—forty-five days to live.
The man behind this cosmic delay is Rayappa, a sadistic local don who embodies Yamaraja, the god of death. As Vinay’s countdown mirrors the Garuda Purana’s transitional soul journey, he is haunted by visions, karmic consequences, and existential dread. Seeking peace, he turns to Shivappa, a compassionate spiritual guide. The film blends mythology, philosophy, and action to explore repentance, accountability, and the fragile hope of spiritual redemption.
Cheekatilo – January 23 (Prime Video)
A tense Telugu crime thriller, Cheekatilo stars Sobhita Dhulipala as Sandhya, a true-crime podcaster whose academic fascination with criminal psychology turns deeply personal after the murder of her intern. Digging into a two-decade-old serial killer case in Hyderabad, Sandhya uses her podcast as both weapon and shield.
As she inches closer to the truth, Sandhya navigates patriarchal gatekeeping, police indifference, and her own unresolved trauma. The investigation evolves into a deadly psychological duel, where exposing the predator may cost her life. The film interrogates justice, courage, and the emotional toll of truth-seeking in a city steeped in silence.
Kaalipotka – January 23 (ZEE5)
Kaalipotka is a female-driven Bengali thriller rooted in solidarity and survival. Four women from marginalised backgrounds are brought together by the mysterious death of one woman’s husband. What begins as mourning quickly morphs into a desperate search for truth.
As they uncover corruption and institutional betrayal, the women find themselves hunted by the police and a violent ex-con. Forced to rely on instinct and collective strength, their bond becomes both shield and weapon. The series uses noir aesthetics, raw performances, and a powerful title track to underline themes of resistance, female agency, and moral defiance.
Mahasenha – Streaming on aha
Set deep within the Kurangani forests, Mahasenha blends folklore, environmental politics, and action. At its heart lies a mythical Yaali idol believed to hold immense spiritual power, protected by the loyal elephant Sena and tribal guardian Senguttuvan.
When corrupt outsiders, thrill-seeking trekkers, and a mysterious tribal leader attempt to seize the relic, the forest becomes a battleground between preservation and exploitation. The film weaves mythic symbolism with ecological urgency, positioning tradition and nature as forces resisting modern greed.
Anantha – Streaming on JioHotstar
Anantha is an anthology series exploring the spiritual philosophy and legacy of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Through multiple narratives inspired by devotees, the series examines faith, miracles, and divine intervention as lived experiences rather than abstract belief.
Each episode focuses on individuals transformed by conviction, offering quiet, reflective storytelling that foregrounds grace, hope, and spiritual surrender.
Dhandoraa – Streaming on Prime Video
Set across a single day in a rural village, Dhandoraa uses four intersecting perspectives to examine the fallout of an unexpected death. What emerges is a sharp, satirical portrait of caste dynamics, performative grief, and collective hypocrisy.
Through dark humour and social realism, the film exposes how tragedy is often commodified, manipulated, and moralised, revealing uncomfortable truths beneath communal solidarity.
Gurram Paapi Reddy – Streaming on ZEE5
An unsettling crime thriller, Gurram Paapi Reddy revolves around a bizarre mission involving the exhumation and replacement of a corpse. As three men are drawn into the task by a mysterious stranger, ethical lines blur and paranoia sets in.
What begins as a job spirals into psychological warfare, with hidden motives, buried secrets, and moral compromise pushing the characters toward irreversible consequences.
Kirkkan – Streaming on Sun NXT
Kirkkan follows a chilling murder investigation sparked by the death of a young girl. As investigators peel back layers of the case, seemingly insignificant details reveal devastating truths.
The series portrays justice not as triumph, but as an emotionally taxing process where truth often arrives too late and at great cost.
Bandook – Streaming on Lionsgate Play
A stark rural drama, Bandook centres on a boatman suffocated by caste barriers and systemic exclusion. In his pursuit of dignity and authority, he drifts toward crime, confronting the moral erosion that accompanies power.
The film interrogates how social marginalisation breeds violence, forcing its protagonist to reckon with the humanity he risks losing.
