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Akkenam OTT release date: When, where to watch Arun Pandian-Keerthi Pandian film

Akkenam OTT release date: When, where to watch Arun Pandian-Keerthi Pandian film

Hindustan Times6 days ago
Akkenam, the 2025 Tamil action thriller film starring actors and father-daughter duo Arun Pandian and Keerthi Pandian in the lead roles, will premiere on SunNXT after its theatrical run. The film will be available on SunNXT via OTTplay Premium from August 16 onwards. Akkenam poster
Akkenam OTT release date:
Akkenam is an action thriller which released in theatres in July. After its big screen run, the film will make its streaming debut on SunNXT on August 16. You can watch the film with your OTTplay Premium subscription.
The Tamil film marks the second collaboration of Keerthi Pandian with her father and actor Arun Pandian, after the duo shared the screen space in the 2021 Tamil film Anbirkiniyal, a remake of the Malayalam film Helen. Akkenam is written and directed by filmmaker Uday K, and also features actors Ramesh Thilak, GM Sundar, Seetha, and others as part of the cast.
The film revolves around a convict who has been released recently as he teams up with a cab driver to confront a common evil. The technical crew of Akkenam includes cinematographer Vignesh Govindarajan and Devathyan handling the edits. Barath Veeraraghavan has scored the music for the film.
More action thrillers to watch on OTTplay Premium
If you are fan of action thriller films, then OTTplay Premium offers you a wide variety of Tamil films to stream. In case you are interested in mainstream and commercial action films, then the Arun Vijay-starrer Mission Chapter 1, Dhanush and Vetrimaaran's gangster actioner Vada Chennai, and Vikram Vedha featuring Madhavan and Vijay Sethupathi in the lead roles, can be your go-to watches.
In case of experimentative films, you can stream titles like Silambarasan and Venkat Prabhu's Maanaadu which involves the concept of time loop, a neo-noir actioner Aaranya Kaandam by filmmaker Thiagarajan Kumararaja, and Lokesh Kanagaraj's action thriller Kaithi, which marks the first instalment in LCU and has no female lead and songs.
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John Abraham at Idea Exchange: ‘In the name of being secular, you can't be making controversial films. But biased films finding an audience is worrisome'
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John Abraham at Idea Exchange: ‘In the name of being secular, you can't be making controversial films. But biased films finding an audience is worrisome'

Actor-producer John Abraham on Tehran, his interest in geopolitics, the thin line between patriotism and jingoism and why the best films are coming out of the Malayalam industry. This session was moderated by Devyani Onial, National Features Editor Devyani Onial: You debuted in films in 2003. It has been a long journey… Devyani Onial: Your latest film, Tehran, on Zee5 is topical with all that has played out between Israel and Iran. But you also have a personal connection with Iran — your mother traces her roots to the country. Tehran came to me as a typically good guy India and bad guy Iran, and I said, hey, wait a second. So my father's a Malayali and my mother and my grandfather from my mother's side came from Iran. So obviously I said Iran can't look so bad. There has to be something nice about this country. So we wrote a story about Iran, Israel, India, and how India was affected by the whole Iran-Israel conflict. 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But then you wonder what your responsibilities are as a producer, as a filmmaker, as an actor. And I've chosen to take the path that's probably very real. I'm not right-wing. I'm not left-wing. I am apolitical in my views. I'll probably call myself a socialist capitalist. So I want to stick to the path that actually is true. Shubhra Gupta: You started with Jism and then you did Kabul Express, two completely different kinds of films. So my idea of looking at you as an actor was that you were actually looking at a spectrum from one to the other. And as a producer, you seem to have been an outlier. What are the things that you look for when you are looking to back a movie and when you're looking at acting? I think my career is defined more by my failures than my successes. I believe the films that have stood out for me are the ones that have failed, be it Water, Kabul Express, No Smoking (2007), Madras Cafe, even The Diplomat. I have understood that where I have a voice is when I'm an outlier, when I make the kind of stuff I want to. In fact, Vicky Donor was a film that no one wanted to touch but we made it with a lot of conviction. So that's one part of me. The other part of what you said was, yes, I do films that have a lot of action, that have a lot of testosterone. You fight, you break, you bang. You have a large audience for that. But what I am hoping for through my films is to marry craft with content. Right now, they're parallel streets. Shubhra Gupta: Not too many people will remember a film that you'd done, Viruddh (2005). There was a very interesting texture to your part. So would you look at those kinds of very specific, not so much action, but more emotional kind of roles now, going forward, given the fact that you are now being associated with this muscular, macho hero kind of films? I think it's the other way around where I was always associated with the muscular, macho image. I'll tell you where I get my feedback from. I get my feedback from when I travel on flights, because as an actor I am very insulated from people. So when I travel, the impression I get from an audience that sits next to me generally is that, we love the films that you're doing now, the stuff that you're doing now makes a lot more sense. So when we see a John Abraham film, we expect something different. So there's an honest attempt to… like I said, geopolitical stuff is something that's very close to my heart. Do I want to make films that are more thought-provoking? Yes, that's the idea. But does that mean I alienate and give up what has also worked for me? No, I won't. I would never be apologetic about it. So you have to draw that balance and do both. But in the process of doing both, you shouldn't end up making a mess. Divya A: I heard you once say that you have geopolitical anxiety. I think in this Trump era we all have it, maybe to some degree. But for you personally, where did this interest in geopolitics start from and how did it become an anxiety or something that consumed you because all your films are coming out of that space now? From childhood, we were always drawn to watching the news. With the advent of the internet, my interest in the geopolitical space kept growing. In fact, recently I did an interview with Oksana Boyko of Russia Today on the whole Russia-Ukraine conflict and then the bureau called me and said, 'How do you know so much about Russia?' So I think it's my Mallu roots of having something about a Marxist, politically. But I think it just adds to whatever I kind of enjoy indulging in. So, I have developed this fondness for space has always excited me. Rinku Ghosh: OTT came up as an alternative platform for content-driven films but now we see the same bigness of commercial cinema on it. Do you feel there has been a blurring of lines between OTT and the big screen? Second, you are championing causes like the wildlife reserve in Telangana. You have also taken up the Northeast United FC, promoting football. Do these pursuits keep you grounded or are you carving out a new path for yourself? The lines are blurred a bit. But if you ask me if there should be a demarcation, I don't think so. On the animal front, I campaign for the cause of animals across this country and I am going to continue to do so because I think they're voiceless and they need a voice and some of us are doing it. Some of us mean well for the cause and whether it's writing letters to chief ministers or whatever it takes, I will do in my capacity because if there's a calling in my life, it's for animals. Without offending any human beings, animals are very important to me. I am very passionate about football. I'm opening a 15-acre academy in Shillong, where we want to get kids aged eight to 10. We can get one Messi or Ronaldo in this world from India and that's my aim. 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