In recent years, most films have been reaching television and digital platforms within weeks of their theatrical release. Gone are the days when audiences had to wait six months or more to catch a film on TV. But one major exception has been Devara: Part 1, which released last September and still hasn’t had its television premiere until now.
Starring Jr NTR and Janhvi Kapoor in lead roles, with Saif Ali Khan and Srikanth in key parts, Devara released in theatres last year and later streamed on Netflix, where it performed well for several weeks. Despite that, the film remained off television screens for nearly a year, even though it was released in five languages.
Industry talk suggests that low satellite demand and price negotiations delayed the film’s TV debut. Broadcasters often look for festival slots to attract larger audiences, which also contributed to the long wait.
Now, it’s officially confirmed that Devara’s satellite rights have been acquired by Jio Star for all languages. The film will air on Star Maa (Telugu), Star Gold (Hindi), Vijay TV (Tamil), Star Suvarna (Kannada), and Asianet (Malayalam). The Hindi premiere is scheduled for October 26, with other languages expected to follow soon.
Devara is a franchise project directed by Koratala Siva, and its second part is currently in pre-production. The television premiere of Part 1 is seen as a key move to reach a wider audience and build anticipation for Devara: Part 2. Jr NTR will begin filming the sequel after completing Dragon with Prashanth Neel.