Otta (film)

Otta
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Resul Pookutty
Written by	Kiron Prabhakaran
Based on	Runaway Children by Hariharan S.
Produced by	Resul Pookutty Hariharan S.
Starring	Asif Ali Indrajith Sukumaran Arjun Ashokan
Cinematography	Arun Varma
Edited by	Zian Sreekanth
Music by	M. Jayachandran
Production companies	Children Reunited LLP Resul Pookutty Productions
Distributed by	Century Films
Release date	27 October 2023 (2023-10-27)[1]
Running time	147 minutes[2]
Country	India
Language	Malayalam

Otta (also known as Otta: The Loner) is a 2023 Indian Malayalam-language drama thriller film directed by Resul Pookutty in his directorial debut, based on S. Hariharan's book, Runaway Children. The film stars Asif Ali, Indrajith Sukumaran, and Arjun Ashokan in the lead roles, alongside an ensemble supporting cast. The story follows two friends, Hari and Ben, who abandon their homes due to family problems.

The film was officially announced in April 2022 in Kochi, and principal photography began in the same month. The music was composed by M. Jayachandran, while the cinematography and editing were handled by Arun Varma and Zian Sreekanth, respectively.

Otta was released in theatres on 27 October 2023. The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics.

Cast

• Asif Ali as Hari alias Hariharan
• Indrajith Sukumaran as Raju
• Arjun Ashokan as Ben
• Sathyaraj as Iyer, Hari's father
• Adil Hussain
• Indrans
• Renji Panicker
• Jayaprakash
• Jayakrishnan
• Baiju Pookutty
• Rohini as Umabba, Hari's mother
• Bhavana as Dr. Mary Thomas, Ben's mother
• Devi Nair
• Divya Dutta
• Mamta Mohandas
• Lena
• Shyamaprasad

Production

Development

Otta marks the directorial debut of Resul Pookutty.^[3] In an interview with Film Companion, Resul said that he planned to make his directorial debut with a Hindi film with Rajinikanth, however, his debut film eventually became Otta, which he wanted to initially produce, but later decided to direct by himself.^[4] The film's script is written by Kiron Prabhakar,^[5] based on a book titled Runaway Children by S. Hariharan, a social worker.^[6]

The film, along with Resul Pookutty's production company, Resul Pookutty Productions, was officially announced on 13 April 2022 at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Kochi.^[7] S. Hariharan's Children Reunited LLP co-produced the film with Resul Pookutty Productions.^[8][9] Arun Varma and Zian Sreekanth were recruited as the cinematographer and editor, respectively.^[10]

Casting

In an interview with an online media in April 2022, Resul Pookutty said that his film will have Shobana, Asif Ali, Indrans, Arjun Ashokan, Sathyaraj, Rohini, Shyamaprasad, Renji Panicker, Adil Hussain, and Divya Dutta appearing in prominent roles.^[11] Shobana, who was taking a break after her previous film, Varane Avashyamund (2020), was approached to play a role, which she agreed to after hearing the story.^[12][13] Adil Hussain was chosen to play the role of a policeman.^[14] Resul Pookutty approached Divya Dutta to play the role of a Punjabi.^[15] The film also marks her debut in a Malayalam film.^[16] Devi Nair, daughter of actress Jalaja, was cast to play an important role.^[12] Resul Pookutty's brother, Baiju Pookutty, was also included in the cast.^[12]

Filming

The crew began principal photography on 25 April 2022.^[17][18] Initial filming took place at a Nālukettu in Kannankulangara, near North Paravur.^[12] On the fourth day of the shoot, Resul Pookutty was admitted to the hospital for 45 days after suffering from dengue.^[4] In Chennai, a kilometer-long stretch was used to build a set to recreate the looks of the 1990s and the period scenes were shot with cameras from the era.^[14] Filming was also done with still cameras and iPhones.^[14]

Music

Otta
Soundtrack album by M. Jayachandran
Released	2023 (2023)
Venue	Kochi, Mumbai, Chennai
Studio	My Studio Aaravind Audio Garage Yashraj Studios AM Studios Sound Town
Genre	Feature film soundtrack
Length	21:39
Language	Malayalam, Tamil
Label	Children Reunited LLP
M. Jayachandran chronology
Njanum Pinnoru Njanum (2023) Otta (2023)

The film's soundtrack album consists of five songs composed by M. Jayachandran, while the lyrics are written by Rafeeq Ahamed and Vairamuthu.^[19] The vocals are given by Shankar Mahadevan, Shreya Ghoshal, P. Jayachandran, Jassie Gift, Alphons Joseph and Benny Dayal.^[20] On 24 October 2023, the first song "Peyneer Poley" was released.^[19]

Otta (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)^[21]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"En Kaadal Nadiye" (Tamil)	Vairamuthu	Shankar Mahadevan, Shreya Ghoshal, Sreeraj Sahajan	3:51
2.	"Parakkum Parava Poley"	Rafeeq Ahamed	Jassie Gift, Alphons Joseph, Yazin Nizar Malathy, Swetha Ashok	3:49
3.	"Peyneer Poley"	Rafeeq Ahamed	Shreya Ghoshal, Benny Dayal	3:49
4.	"Peyneer Poley" (Male vocals)	Rafeeq Ahamed	P. Jayachandran, Benny Dayal	3:49
5.	"Paral"	Rafeeq Ahamed	Benny Dayal, Unni Elayaraja, M. Jayachandran	3:34
6.	"Ottaykkoru Mutham"	Rafeeq Ahamed	Lekshmi Jayan	2:47

Release

Theatrical

The film was initially scheduled to release on 15 September 2023 and later postponed due to unfinished post-production work.^[13][5] The film was released in theatres on 27 October 2023.^[22] It was distributed in Kerala by Century Films.^[23]

Reception

Box office

The film grossed US$2,489 in the United Kingdom and US$6,929 in the United Arab Emirates, bringing its total international earnings to US$9,418.^[24][25]

Critical response

S. R. Praveen of The Hindu wrote "Despite an ensemble cast, only some of them get characters having enough to do to even register in our minds in Asif Ali and Arjun Ashokan's 'Otta'."^[26] Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express gave 1 out of 5 stars and wrote "Otta demonstrates that even with a team of brilliant technicians and actors, a film is destined to collapse without a strong foundation comprising a well-developed story and script."^[27] Cris of The News Minute gave 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "It is not that Otta is not relatable. Resul has tried to give a faithful account of Hariharan's story, depicted the realities that a runaway can end up in, and kept the flow. Only, the superficial treatment has weakened the effort."^[28]

Subhash K. Jha of Times Now gave 4.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "This is not the place for sidelining the fringe people in our society. Otta celebrates the have-nots without patronizing them. It is a superbly paced drama that deals a resounding blow in our guts. Arun Verma's enriching cinematography, Zian Sreekanth's seamless editing, and Cyril Kurivila's invisible art direction make this the film of the year and one you won't forget for a very long time."^[29] Sajin Shrijith of Cinema Express gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Otta may not make you feel good, but in this age when we have to make appointments to meet our loved ones, perhaps a film like this is needed to give one the necessary jolt."^[30] Swathi P. Ajith of Onmanorama wrote "'Otta' is undeniably a fantastic movie, aside from the occasional slow moments. It's guaranteed to take the audience on an emotional rollercoaster, with many scenes that are truly heart-wrenching."^[31]

References

1. "Asif Ali and Resul Pookutty's 'Otta' get a release date". The Times of India. 4 September 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023.
2. "Otta". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 3 November 2023.
3. "Otta first look teaser: Resul Pookutty promises an emotional roller-coaster about runaway children". The Indian Express. 29 August 2023. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023.
4. "Resul Pookutty wants to make Hindi film with Rajinikanth; reveals he 'almost died' during Otta shoot". The Indian Express. 26 October 2023. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023.
5. "Resul Pookutty's Otta trailer: Asif Ali, Arjun Ashokan starrer hints at an intense social drama". OTTPlay. 21 October 2023. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023.
6. "Otta trailer: Resul Pookutty's debut directorial looks promising". The Indian Express. 20 October 2023. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023.
7. "റസൂൽ പൂക്കുട്ടി സംവിധായകനാവുന്നു, നായകന്മാരായി ആസിഫ് അലിയും അർജുൻ അശോകനും സത്യരാജും". Mathrubhumi (in Malayalam). 14 April 2022. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023.
8. Bureau, The Hindu (22 October 2023). "'Otta' trailer: Asif Ali, Arjun Ashokan star in Resul Pookutty's intense directorial debut". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
9. "Asif Ali to star in Resul Pookutty's directorial debut". The New Indian Express. 15 April 2022. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022.
10. "Teaser of Resul Pookutty, Asif Ali's Otta, to be out on this date". Cinema Express. 27 August 2023. Archived from the original on 3 September 2023.
11. "Resul Pookutty to cast Shobana, Asif Ali, Indrans, and Arjun Ashokan in his directorial debut 'Otta'". The Times of India. 27 April 2022. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023.
12. "'Otta' based on real-life incident, says film's director Resul Pookutty". Onmanorama. 26 April 2022. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022.
13. "Otta: Resul Pookutty's directorial debut is releasing worldwide on September 15". OTTPlay. 30 July 2023. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023.
14. Madhu, Vignesh (5 November 2023). "Resul Pookutty's directorial debut Malayalam film 'Otta': Sound of mettle". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023.
15. "Divya Dutta had a fangirl moment shooting with Kattappa of Baahubali, Sathyaraj". The Times of India. 22 March 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023.
16. "Divya Dutta remembers shooting for her first south film". The Times of India. 4 July 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023.
17. "Resul Pookutty | റസൂൽ പൂക്കുട്ടി സംവിധായകനാവുന്നു; 'ഒറ്റ' ഏപ്രിലിൽ ചിത്രീകരണമാരംഭിക്കും". News18 Malayalam (in Malayalam). 14 April 2022. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022.
18. "Resul Pookutty launches the first look of his directorial debut 'Otta'". The Times of India. 14 April 2022. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022.
19. "'Peyneer Poley' song from 'Otta' out!". The Times of India. 25 October 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023.
20. "ആസിഫ് അലി നായകനാകുന്ന റസൂൽ പൂക്കുട്ടി ചിത്രം; "ഒറ്റ" റിലീസ് തീയതി പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചു". Mathrubhumi (in Malayalam). 2 September 2023. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023.
21. Otta (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) Songs: Otta (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) MP3 Malayalam Songs by Vairamuthu Online Free on Gaana.com, archived from the original on 28 October 2023, retrieved 28 October 2023
22. Staff, T. N. M. (3 September 2023). "Otta, Resul Pookutty's directorial debut, to release in October". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023.
23. "പെയ്നീർ പോലെ; റസൂൽ പൂക്കുട്ടി ചിത്രം 'ഒറ്റ' യിലെ ആദ്യ ഗാനം പുറത്തിറങ്ങി". Mathrubhumi (in Malayalam). 26 October 2023. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023.
24. "Otta". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
25. "Otta". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
26. Praveen, S. R. (27 October 2023). "'Otta' movie review: Resul Pookutty's directorial debut fails to make a mark, despite its lofty intentions". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023.
27. Suresh, Anandu (27 October 2023). "Otta movie review: Resul Pookutty's Asif Ali, Indrajith-starrer is an overstretched semi-biographical infomercial". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023.
28. Cris (27 October 2023). "Otta review: Resul Pookutty's film has a touching theme but pretentious script". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023.
29. K. Jha, Subhash (27 October 2023). "Otta Movie Review: Resul Pookutty's Directorial Debut Is A Monumental Achievement". Times Now. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023.
30. Shrijith, Sajin (27 October 2023). "Otta Movie Review: Resul Pookutty's immensely hard-hitting directorial debut". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023.
31. P. Ajith, Swathi (27 October 2023). "Resul Pookutty's Asif Ali starrer 'Otta' portrays the heartbreaking journey of three men | Review". Onmanorama. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023.

External links

• Official website
• Otta at IMDb 
• Otta at Rotten Tomatoes