The movie Agnyathavasi, which gained Gultoo -fame, took three years to go from muhurtha to its theatrical debut, according to filmmaker Janardhan Chikkanna. Janardhan had trouble getting funding for what was supposed to be his second film project, but he eventually found the help he needed in Hemanth M. Rao, a fellow filmmaker who was captivated by the pitch the former had. Even though the movie was made in a short period of time, Hemanth called to postpone the release since the market was not favorable for theatrical and/or OTT releases.

Hemanth's bet proved successful as he was able to sell Agnyathavasi's satellite and digital rights before the film's theatrical debut, which is unusual these days, particularly in the Kannada film industry. The film, which debuted in theaters on April 11 alongside titles such as Good Bad Ugly, Maranamass, Vidyapati, Vaamana, Alappuzha Gymkhana, Bazooka, etc., is now accessible on OTT. Agnyathavasi, which was released on Zee5 on May 28, 2025, is available in its original Kannada version with English subtitles. You may watch Agnyathavasi on OTTplay Premium if you missed it in theaters.

An account of life as an unknown resident of Malnad, based on a real event

The tale that serves as the basis for Agnyathavasi is written by Guru Krishnaraj and is said to be inspired by a real crime—a little-known murder that occurred in the Malnad area in the 1990s. The movie takes place in a calm Malnad village in the late 1990s, where there is virtually no crime, to the point that the two police officers in the area occupy themselves with other pursuits; one is a temple priest and the other is a farmer.

The inspector (Rangayana Raghu) initially accepts the story that Srinivasaiah (Sharath Lohithashwa), the local landlord, died of old age, but he is later persuaded that there was foul play, which everyone else seems to dismiss. What is it about the case that causes him to go off on this tangent?

Ravishankar Gowda, Pavana Gowda, Siddu Moolimani, and Arvind Kuplikar are among the cast of Agnyathavasi, which also features Hemanth's frequent colleagues Charanraj (music), Ullas Hydoor (production design), and Advaitha Gurumurthy (cinematographer).

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