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Karthi’s latest film Va Vathiyar made a surprising leap to OTT just fourteen days after its theatrical release, leaving fans completely unprepared. The Telugu-dubbed version, announced earlier as Anna Gaaru Vostaru, had generated significant buzz following its formal announcement last December and promotional events in Hyderabad featuring Karthi himself. Expectations among Telugu movie lovers were naturally high.

Karthi has a reputation for taking special care with dubbing and localization. In the past, he has personally lent his voice and ensured that cultural references, signboards, and other contextual elements are properly adapted for Telugu audiences. That reputation only made the OTT release of Anna Gaaru Vostaru all the more disappointing.

The main issue lies in the careless handling of the Telugu version. The original Tamil film revolves heavily around references to MGR, who forms the emotional and ideological core of the story. For Telugu audiences, who do not share the same connection, the makers attempted to replace these references with legendary actor NTR. While the idea made sense on paper, the execution faltered completely. Visuals still show MGR, but the background dialogue suddenly switches to NTR references, resulting in jarring inconsistencies that pull viewers out of the narrative. Rather than creating emotional resonance, the scenes end up feeling confusing and awkward.

For a film already struggling with content, this sloppy approach only compounds the problem. Viewers who had hoped for a decent home-viewing experience were left frustrated by the mismatched adaptation, which feels more like a rushed checkbox exercise than a genuine attempt to connect with Telugu audiences. Adding to the disappointment, the OTT platform did not upload a proper standalone Telugu version. Instead, it only offers a Telugu audio option while keeping the original visuals intact. Fans argue that this shows a lack of respect for the Telugu title that was heavily promoted.

Social media is flooded with criticism over this negligence. Many cinephiles point out that if the film was marketed specifically for Telugu viewers, at the very least, the adaptation should have been coherent and respectful. Unfortunately, the backlash appears to be largely ignored, leaving fans disappointed that the promise of Anna Gaaru Vostaru was never truly honored.