Telugu audiences were eagerly waiting to stream Roshan Meka’s Champion this weekend, but the film’s OTT release has been postponed. According to an official update from Netflix, the movie will now start streaming next week.
Since many Telugu films follow a four-week theatrical window before their OTT release, viewers expected Champion to premiere online on January 23. But when the film did not appear on the platform, fans were disappointed by the unexpected delay.
Netflix has acquired the digital streaming rights for Champion in all languages. The streaming giant has now confirmed that the film will be available on its platform from Thursday, January 29, in all languages.
Champion Plot Details
Released on December 25, 2025, Champion is a Telugu period sports drama directed by Pradeep Advaitham. The film follows Michael (Roshan Meka), a talented footballer from pre-independence Secunderabad who dreams of playing in London. His life takes a turn when he gets caught in the fight against Razakar oppression in a village, forcing him to choose between pursuing his dream and standing up for the people. The film also stars Anaswara Rajan in the female lead role.
Movie Name:Border 2 Rating: 3/5 Cast: Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh, Ahan Shetty, Mona Singh, Sonam Bajwa, Anya Singh, Medha Rana and Others Director: Anurag Singh Produced By: Nidhi Dutta, J. P. Dutta, Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar Release Date: 23rd January 2026
Set against the backdrop of the India–Pakistan war of 1971, Border 2, is a sequel to J.P. Dutta’s 1997 blockbuster ‘Border’. The film has good craze as it is a sequel and let us dive into the following review to know how it has been made.
Story:
Border 2 is set during the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war and showcases intense battles such as Longewala and Basantar, highlighting the bravery and strategic skills of Indian soldiers.
Performances:
Sunny Deol has the most prominent role in the film. As expected, his screen presence is powerful, and he delivers the required intensity with a strong performance. Varun Dhawan plays a restrained character and gives a sincere performance, especially shining in emotional scenes.
Diljit Dosanjh leaves a good impression, while Ahan Shetty delivers a decent performance. Mona Singh, Medha Rana, Sonam Bajwa, and Anya Singh perform well, with Mona Singh standing out the most.
Analysis:
Border 2 faces the challenge of matching the legacy of J.P. Dutta’s iconic 1997 film Border, which defined patriotic war cinema for many viewers.
Director Anurag Singh largely meets expectations by telling the story through the lead characters: Hoshiyar Singh (Varun Dhawan) from the Indian Army, Nirmaljit Singh (Diljit Dosanjh), an Air Force pilot, Mahendra Rawat (Ahan Shetty) representing the Navy, and their mentor Fateh Singh (Sunny Deol), a legendary border commander.
The film effectively brings out emotions of brotherhood, duty, and sacrifice. The flashback sequences showing the bond between soldiers work well. The punch dialogues during war scenes, the confrontations between Indian and Pakistani soldiers, and the emotional struggles of soldiers’ families are portrayed effectively.
However, the film has a few drawbacks. Some war sequences in the second half feel stretched, and there is a familiar and predictable pattern of the genre, which might underwhelm the impact for a while.
Positives:
Performances
Engaging Screenplay (For Most of the Part)
Emotional Scenes/Dialogues
A Few Stunning War Moments in the Second Half
Negatives:
Generic Traits
A Few Overboard/Loud Dialogues and Scenes
VFX Could Have Been Better
Border 2 Review and Verdict:
Border 2 is an emotionally engaging patriotic drama with natural performances, strong emotional moments, and suitable music. Despite a few dragged scenes and some underwhelming technical aspects, the film remains an engaging watch.
Exaggerating box office numbers is nothing new in the film industry, as producers often do it for publicity. Anaganaga Oka Raju, which was released during Sankranthi, has emerged as a big success, and now the film faces a challenge of reaching the ₹100 Cr mark.
All buyers are reportedly in the profit zone, and the film became the second most preferred Sankranthi release among audiences, after Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu.
Anaganaga Oka Raju has a big target to get this weekend
The makers recently announced that the film had collected over ₹100 crore gross within just five days. But according to tracking sources like Tollywood box office portals, the film has not reached that milestone yet. As per current estimates, the worldwide gross stands at around ₹70 crore.
To touch the ₹100 crore mark, Anaganaga Oka Raju needs to collect at least ₹20 crore or more during the upcoming weekend, from Saturday to Monday. It remains to be seen whether the movie can achieve those numbers in the coming days.
The Sankranthi 2026 has seen several films getting released, but Chiranjeevi and Anil Ravipudi’s Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu emerged as the winner among all of them. The film now enters the second weekend, which is crucial for its target of 300 Cr gross.
Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu is the Sankranti winner this year. The film collected the biggest numbers for Chiranjeevi and dominated other films in a big way as the No. 1 choice for audiences. After a rampage festival week, the film maintained strong momentum on Monday and Tuesday as well.
Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu aims for a total of 300 Cr
So, with that, everyone thought the 300 Cr milestone was very easy. But the film sees a drop in the collections from Wednesday. Including today’s numbers, the film’s gross collections will be around 255 Cr, and it needs to aim for bigger collections from tomorrow to Monday (Republic Holiday) to reach the milestone.
As there are no notable films releasing, and having the long weekend with the Republic Day holiday advantage provides more chances for the film to see a big jump in collection and to achieve the intended milestone at the box office.
Anil Ravipudi is currently one of the most popular and in-demand directors in the Telugu film industry. Almost every star’s fan hopes to see their favorite actor collaborate with him. Recently, there was a small buzz about a possible film between Anil Ravipudi and Pawan Kalyan, and the director has now given clarity on the matter.
With Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, Anil Ravipudi presented Megastar Chiranjeevi in a highly entertaining and refreshing way. The film received a strong response, with audiences enjoying Chiranjeevi’s performance, his comic timing, and his classic mannerisms.
Following this success, some Mega fans expressed their desire to see Anil Ravipudi work with Pawan Kalyan, believing that such a combination could bring back Pawan’s entertaining side on screen. There were also reports that Pawan Kalyan had committed to a film with producer Dil Raju, and that Anil Ravipudi was asked to work on the script.
However, Anil Ravipudi has now clarified that there is no such project in progress, and he stated that, as of now, there are no discussions or plans for a film with Pawan Kalyan.
Anil Ravipudi said:
“I have not met Pawan Kalyan garu personally yet, but I am very eager to work with him. He is extremely busy as the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. At present, he is not a star who regularly does films, as he has many responsibilities. If our combination happens in the future, I will be very happy. Let’s see what happens. For now, there is no such plan or idea.”
The fourth week of January 2026 is shaping up to be an exciting one for movie lovers with exciting OTT releases. While several new films are hitting theaters this week, such as Border 2, the OTT platforms are also bringing a strong lineup of fresh content.
One of the most awaited OTT releases this week is Tere Ishk Mein, starring Kriti Sanon and Dhanush. Directed by Aanand L. Rai, the film was released in theaters in November last year and received a fair response. The romantic drama is now set for its digital premiere on Netflix from January 23, 2026.
The Kannada action film Mark is another notable release heading to OTT this week. After its theatrical release on December 25, 2025, the film is now ready for its digital debut. Mark, led by Kichcha Sudeep, will begin streaming on Jio Hotstar from January 23, 2026. The cast also includes Shine Tom Chacko, Naveen Chandra, Vikrant, and Yogi Babu.
Adding to the list is the Tamil courtroom crime drama Sirai, which will premiere on Zee5 on January 23. The film focuses on intense legal battles and has generated curiosity among fans of the genre.
Apart from these, several titles are already available or releasing tonight on OTT platforms. The Telugu action thriller Shambhala is currently streaming on Aha. Champion, starring Roshann Meka, will start streaming on Netflix tonight. Sobitha Dhulipala’s web series Cheekatilo will premiere on Prime Video, while the Kannada film 45, featuring Upendra and Shivarajkumar, will be available on Zee5.
With such a wide range of content across languages and genres, OTT viewers have plenty of choices in the fourth week of January 2026.
Movies and Series Streaming This Week – Platform List
45 (Kannada) – Zee5 (Streaming Tonight)
Tere Ishq Mein – Netflix (From January 23, 2026)
Mark (Kannada) – Jio Hotstar (From January 23, 2026)
Sirai (Tamil) – Zee5 (From January 23, 2026)
Shambhala (Telugu) – Aha (Now Streaming)
Champion – Netflix (Streaming Tonight)
Cheekatilo (Web Series) – Prime Video (Streaming Tonight)
Bollywood films are facing a new challenge in their theatrical business, especially in overseas markets. After Dhurandhar, another major Hindi film, Border 2, has reportedly been banned in several Gulf countries, including the UAE. The film is scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release tomorrow, January 23.
Earlier, Dhurandhar suffered heavy losses due to a similar ban in the Gulf region. Despite receiving a good response in other territories, the film reportedly lost close to ₹100 crore in revenue because it could not release in key Middle Eastern markets. Now, Border 2 seems to be facing the same issue.
Will the ban in Gulf countries affect Border 2’s box office results?
The film has been carrying strong buzz and anticipation among audiences, and Gulf countries are considered one of the most important overseas markets for Bollywood films. With the ban in place, the film is expected to lose a significant portion of its potential overseas earnings, which could impact its overall box-office performance.
Directed by Anuragh Singh, Border 2 is the sequel to the iconic war film Border (1997) and is based on patriotic and military themes, which have once again brought it under scrutiny in certain overseas regions.
After Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, there was strong buzz in the industry that Anil Ravipudi’s next film would be with Venkatesh and that it might be a sequel to Sankranthiki Vasthunam. However, it now appears that the director has different plans.
My Next Film is not a sequel to Sankranthiki Vasthunam, says Anil Ravipudi
It has been confirmed that Anil Ravipudi’s next film is not a sequel and will be a completely fresh project. Adding to the curiosity, the director has also clarified that the lead actor has not yet been finalized.
Ravipudi revealed that the title and concept of his tenth film are already locked, and he promised that the title will be “crazy.” He also confirmed that the film is planned for a Sankranthi 2027 release. The lead actor will be announced soon, along with more details.
Peddi, starring Ram Charan and directed by Buchi Babu, is facing continuous rumors about its postponement, though the makers announced that 27th March, 2026, is the release date. The buzz has gotten stronger now, as it is said that the film has fixed its new date.
As said above, one of the most-awaited movies of 2026, Peddi has continuously faced rumors about the postponement, but the makers deny the rumors all the time. Now the news is that the makers are planning to release the film on 1st May, and an official update on the film’s release date is expected very soon.
Coming to the movie’s filming, it is in the final stages of shooting, and it is also said that Buchi Babu locked the 1st half edit and forwarded it to AR Rahaman for the background score.
Akhanda 2 failure and the fall of the OTT market are both affecting Balakrishna’s lineup. The veteran actor was supposed to do a film with Gopichand Malineni under Vriddhi Cinemas immediately after Akhanda 2, and the film’s pooja ceremony was officially done.
It was formally announced, with the team roping in Nayanthara for this historical project. The film was planned as a big-budget venture, but after the failure of Akhanda 2, the project has been put on hold as the economics are not working.
NBK111: Historical project on hold, Gopichand Malineni to make a mass movie with Balakrishna
Gopichand Malineni has been forced to shift to a mass subject, which is said to be still in progress, while Balakrishna is still waiting to start his next project.
The next film for Balakrishna after Akhanda 2 might not be with Gopichand Malineni
There is also a buzz that Balayya is listening to other scripts. If Gopichand Malineni takes more time to prepare a new script, Balakrishna might have a change in his lineup and he may do another film in between with a different combination. This could also work well for Gopichand Malineni, as he will get sufficient time to complete the full script and pre-production work.
He had already prepared everything to start the historical project, but due to budget constraints, he has now been forced to work on a new project.
