Kara OTT release date: When and where to watch Dhanush's heist thriller set during Gulf War

Kara OTT release date: Filmmaker Vignesh Raja's much-anticipated release of the year, Kara will be streaming online soon. The Tamil heist film starring Dhanush and Mamitha Baiju, is heading for its OTT release after raking in more than ₹50 crore worldwide. The film was released in theatres on April 30.

Kara OTT release date

Kara will be released on OTT, streaming on Netflix, starting on 28 May. Previously, the OTT giant confirmed the release date with an update on Instagram.

Kara will be available online in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam languages. "A thief tries to go straight, but when predatory banks trap his father in debt, he returns to crime — with a determined cop closing in on his trail," reads the official title card on the OTT website.

Kara team

Kara is directed by Vignesh Raja from a screenplay co-written with Alfred Prakash. It is produced by Vels Film International and Think Studios.

The music of the film is composed by GV Prakash Kumar and cinematography is by Theni Eswar. Editing is helmed by Srijith Sarang.

Cast

Kara stars Dhanush in the lead role as Karasaami, alias Kara, alongside Mamitha Baiju as his wife Selli. Besides the lead actors, the supporting cast of the film includes KS Ravikumar as Kandhasaami, Suraj Venjaramoodu as DSP Bharathan Nair IPS, Karunas as Kasi Maayan, and Jayaram as Muthu Selvan.

The ensemble also features Prithvi Rajan as Murugesan, Sreeja Ravi as Dhanam, MS Bhaskar as an ageing villager, and Aadukalam Naren as a police officer. Other notable appearances include Ravi Mariya as the Thiruverumbur MLA, PL Thenappan playing himself, Sashikumar Subramani as the Panjavan Bank accountant, Abu Salim as a thief hired by Muthu Selvan, Vela Ramamoorthy as the police commissioner, and S. Rajapandi as Mufti Police.

Story

Set in the 1990s during the Gulf War, Kara tells the story of a thief who leaves behind his criminal past only to be forced to return to it when his ancestral home is seized by the corrupted bank.

It focuses on a petty thief named Karasaami aka Kara (played by Dhanush) from Ramanathapuram. After he gets arrested by DSP Bharathan during a failed robbery attempt, Kara manages to escape from prison. Looking for a fresh begining, he leaves the criminal world to start a new life with his wife Selli by running a small eatery.

Soon financial difficulties send him back to his old place in search of land papers which he needs to secure a bank loan. He finds his family has fallen under heavy debts due to the predatory lending practices around their ancestral land. What happens next and how he manages to secure the land forms the story.

Kara box office collection

According to film tracker Sacnilk, Kara collected ₹37.50 crore net in India and ₹53.65 crore gross worldwide. The film received mixed reviews after its release and underperformed at the box office.

Kara was officially announced by the makers in July 2025. The film was distributed by Red Giant Movies.