Kannada filmmaker Mansore, best known for his National Award winning films like Harivu and Nathicharami, had, for the longest time been complaining about the lack of interest OTT platforms show to his films. Although Nathicharami went to Netflix, when the initial deal ran out, it was not renewed and the platform did not want his latest, 19.20.21 either . The filmmaker knocked on all doors and got no response, following which he made his films available on smaller platforms attached to mobile networks, etc.

He has now managed to get 19.20.21 on Amazon Prime Video as well, albeit on TVOD (Transactional video on demand or rental), only. The film can be accessed at Rs 99 only, which gives a user a 30-day window to watch it once purchased, as well as 48-hours to finish it once started.

What is 19.20.21 about?

19.20.21 is based on the real-life story of journalist Vittala Malekudiya and his father Linganna, who were arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in 2012, under the suspicion that they were Naxalites. Jailed for 4 months and investigated for years together, the duo was acquitted nine years later and no action has been taken against the police who branded them Naxalites without sufficient evidence to back the same.

The material seized – a few pamphlets about protests against acquisition of tribal land, and to fight for basic rights, etc. – were dubbed unusual for someone from the Malekudiya tribe, with the police overlooking the fact that Vittala was a post-graduate student of journalism at the time, the first from his tribe.

Mansore’s film is a docu-drama, as he did not want fictionalise or treat with cinematic liberty any of the atrocities that the Malekudiya tribals faced. Shrunga BV played Vittala, who is called Manju in the film, and was joined by the likes of Rajesh Nataranga, Mahadev Hadapad, Krishna Hebbale, Vishwa Karna, Sampath Maithreya, among others, on the cast.

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