Why OTT Wants To Dub South Films

'For OTT platforms, securing dubbed rights often makes greater business sense, enabling them to serve diverse regional audiences more effectively.'

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With the rise in prominence of pan-Indian films and streaming platforms focusing on sustaining subscriber stickiness, dubbed rights for South Indian films are expected to rise up to 10 per cent next year as they attract eyeballs beyond their mainstay markets with compelling storylines and talent.

For prominent South films like S S Rajamouli's RRR, Rishab Shetty's Kantara, action-thriller film series KGF, the Allu Arjun starrer Pushpa: The Rise and Pushpa 2: The Rule, the Hindi-dubbed rights are as high as their original released languages, said a producer on the condition of anonymity.

Apart from major pan-Indian South Indian film releases from prominent actors, the producer expects the general dubbing rights to rationalise, which significantly rose after Pushpa 2: The Rule's release last year.Earlier, the dubbed rights of South Indian films were considered 'library fillers' or inexpensive content acquired to keep channels running round the clock.

Over the last two to three years, South films have become a mainstream content category in Hindi-speaking markets, as per industry experts.

This has resulted in dubbing rights for South films expected to grow in the range of eight to 10 per cent in 2026, according to an industry expert.