When the first visuals of Vinay Rajkumar’s Pepe came out, there was a tangible excitement among fans. The film, by debutant director Shreelesh Nair had Vinay in action mode and in his most massy avatar to date. That excitement was short-lived, though, as the film did not measure up eventually. Pepe opened to largely scathing reviews, what with Shreelesh’s editing pattern and non-linear narrative, in a story over-stuffed with characters, not appealing to audiences.

The film made a quick retreat from movie halls, but managed to crack an OTT deal despite the lacklustre theatrical outing. OTTplay had reported earlier that Pepe had been picked up by Amazon Prime Video and for the last week the film has been available to stream for audiences in the US and UK. The film’s India streaming date is said to be October 11, as per an official newsletter from the platform.

Pepe, meanwhile, is a tale about a multi-generational feud over the right to access to a river, pitting the upper class against the oppressed lower class. While casteism and women’s rights are addressed in the film, it gets lost in the melee of all the violence and bloodshed. Shreelesh is also hoping to have a second part to his tale, to expand on the story he’s begun telling and give more context to the characters, but that may not happen, given the fate Pepe had in theatres.

Pepe is Vinay’s second film release for the year, following the moderately successful Ondu Sarala Prema Kathe. The actor has a film called Andondittu Kaala ready for release. He plays an aspiring filmmaker in Andondittu Kaala, which pairs him with Aditi Prabhudeva. His film Gramayana, which was stalled earlier, owing to the passing of the producer during the pandemic, has been revived and the actor was also recently signed up for a role in Duniya Vijay’s next directorial, City Lights.

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