'Vaa Vaathiyaar' OTT release date: Karthi starrer breaks four week norm; when and where to stream the cop drama

Karthi's 'Vaa Vaathiyaar', which was released as a Pongal feast on January 14 is seeing mixed reviews from both audiences and critics alike. Directed by 'Soodhu Kavvum' and 'Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum' fame Nalan Kumarasamy, this film has arrived after a series of delays and was expected to create quite a sensation during the festival season. The film itself starred Karthi in the lead along with Krithi Shetty, and the music was composed by Santhosh Narayanan. Initially budgeted at around Rs 40 crore, it appears that 'Vaa Vaathiyaar' failed to mint money at the box office. In an unexpected but latest development, the OTT release of the film has been announced barely two weeks after the theatrical release.The official announcement revealed that ‘ Vaa Vaathiyaar’ will begin streaming on Amazon Prime Video on 28th January, just 14 days after its release. While the trend of lesser gap between a film's theatrical release and its digital premiere has been well-established in recent times, this unusually small window has sparked significant questions. Industry experts are now questioning whether Karthi or the film's producers might face repercussions for potentially breaching established OTT distribution guidelines and theatrical window norms. ‘Vaa Vaathiyaar’ chronicles the story of a devoted M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) supporter who raises his grandson Ramu (Karthik) in the hope that he has a special bond with this political icon. The film isn’t MGR’s biography, but the audience witnesses Ramu turning into a jolly, very much leading police officer like MGR, and a twist of fate endsangers this police officer’s grandfather's life and makes it dawn on him as a huge burden. The screenplay and pacing of the movie created an atmosphere of discontent, despite the appreciation of the hero Karthi’s performance. This film received mixed reviews on its release.At the box office, 'Vaa Vaathiyaar' opened to disappointing collections of Rs.1.65 crores at the domestic box office, and on following days, it had dropped further. It closed its box office run with around 10 crores, which was lesser than expected, according to the report by Sacnilk. The rapid shift to OTT has shifted focus from theaters to digital viewers.