Netflix has announced a major expansion of its Tamil film roster in 2023, with the global streaming giant acquiring the streaming rights to 18 Tamil-language films. The 18 films will be released after completing their theatrical releases later in the year, according to Netflix. With this, Netflix is shifting its focus to catering to fans of regional language films, with the lucrative Tamil film industry getting a big boost from this announcement. Popular upcoming releases including Dhanush star Vaathi and the tentatively titled AK 62 directed by Vignesh Shivan are part of the list.
“Our audiences have a huge appetite for locally authentic and global stories across India, and we want to give them more of what they love. Films such as ‘Beast’, ‘Doctor’ and ‘Gatta Kushti’ resonated strongly and sparked conversations with our audiences worldwide and we are confident that our new series of Tamil films will have the same effect,” said Monika Shergill, VP – Content at Netflix. Some of the films in the list, including Gatta Kushti, have already been released in theaters and performed quite well.
Netflix hopes to capitalize on global interest in these films and allow viewers around the world to see films that may not be released theatrically outside of major regional markets. “The Slate showcases a variety of films across diverse genres and highlights the wealth of creative talent from South India. With the work we are doing behind the scenes around our dubbing and subtitling, we are excited to bring these films to a wider audience across India and every corner of the world,” continued Shergill.
As mentioned, many of these films will be available in multiple languages thanks to Netflix dubbing and subtitling. These include Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada in most cases, although some titles can also be streamed in Hindi.
The roster of films includes various releases throughout the year from various production companies, including six releases from Lyca Productions, including ChandraMukhi 2, Naai Sekar Returns, the tentatively titled AK 62, and three untitled projects that are still in production. Others in the list of upcoming releases coming to Netflix include Aaryan, Gatta KushtiIraivan, Irugapatru, Japan, Jigar Thanda Double X, Maamannan, Revolver Rita, Thalaikoothal, Thangalaan, Varalaru Mukkiyam and Dhanush lead Vaathi which was filmed simultaneously in Tamil and Telugu.
