In Tollywood, young actors are always experimenting to make their own mark. Not all experiments are successes, though. Kiran Abbavaram, who had been having a series of dampers at the box office, finally got his turning point with Ka. The movie not only struck gold at the box office but also touched the hearts of audiences, specially for its emotionally charged ending.
Even with its solid theatrical performance, Ka hit a roadblock in terms of OTT streaming rights that it did not expect. Typically, well-performing movies at the box office are snapped up by major digital platforms quickly. Ka was unable to find a deal, though.
As per industry sources, the same aspect that distinguished the film—the intellectual, karma-based climax—proved to be an obstacle in OTT negotiations. A prominent streaming giant is said to have felt that the philosophical and intense conclusion of the film may not appeal to their digital viewers.
Though a few recommended making the climax more marketable for streaming, Kiran Abbavaram and his crew remained resolute. In an interview recently, the actor insisted that the climax was the essence of the movie, and there was never any question of altering it. This risky move later proved to be a key factor in the positive response of the film from moviegoers.
While the big players such as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and ZEE5 declined, ETV Win filled the gap by acquiring the streaming rights for Ka. The move has left the industry looking in disbelief, considering that ETV Win is not usually known to purchase big theatrical releases.
In addition, ETV Win went the extra mile to fight piracy, so that the movie stayed safe from illegal downloading and leaks—a problem that haunts most successful movies in the digital world.