'Shakuntala Devi', Gulabo Sitabo' and five other India films head to Amazon Prime

Vidya Balan-starrer "Shakuntala Devi" biopic is the latest major Bollywood movie to go for a direct digital release on Amazon Prime Video after Amitabh Bachchan-Ayushmann Khurrana's "Gulabo Sitabo" amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has led to the closing of cinema halls.

Amazon Prime Video on Friday announced its direct-to-service line-up spanning five Indian languages, which include Hindi films Gulabo Sitabo and Shakuntala Devi, Tamil legal drama Ponmagal Vandhal, Tamil-Telugu bilingual movie Penguin, Sufiyum Sujatayum in Malayalam and Kannada features Law, French Biryani.

The movies will premiere exclusively on Prime Video over the next three months and will be available in 200 countries and territories worldwide.

Over the last 2 years, Prime Video has become the destination of choice for our customers to watch new releases, across the languages, within weeks of their theatrical release.

"Now we're taking this one step further, with seven of India's most-anticipated films premiering exclusively on Prime Video, bringing the cinematic experience to their doorstep, Vijay Subramaniam, Director and Head, Content, Amazon Prime Video, India, said in a statement.

Gaurav Gandhi, Director and Country General Manager, Amazon Prime Video India, added that the digital premiere will give a large global release footprint to these films.

We feel truly excited about this initiative and are confident of delighting our Prime Members with this offering he said.

"Shakuntala Devi" producers and lead star Vidya also announced that the biopic on the mathematician will exclusively premiere on the digital platform this June.

Vidya said she is thrilled to be able to entertain the audiences in these unprecedented times.

Delighted to announce that you will get to see #ShakuntalaDevi very soon on @PrimeVideoIN with all your loved ones. Thrilled that we will be able to entertain you in these unprecedented times. #WorldPremiereOnPrime #ShakuntalaDeviOnPrime, the actor posted on Twitter alongside the poster of the movie.

Written and directed by Anu Menon, the film has been produced by Sony Pictures Networks Productions and Vikram Malhotra.

The film also stars Sanya Malhotra, Amit Sadh and Jisshu Sengupta in pivotal roles. The biopic was scheduled to be theatrically released on May 8 but was delayed due to COVID-19.

Ponmagal Vandhal, starring Jyotika in the lead, is set to premiere on the streaming platform on May 29, while Keerthy Suresh's Penguin and Ragini Chandran's Law will release on June 19 and June 26, respectively.

French Biryani will bow out on July 24 and release date for Sufiyum Sujatayum is yet to be announced.

Shoojit Sircar's Gulabo Sitabo on Thursday became the first major Bollywood film to opt for a straight to digital release amid the pandemic. The film will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on June 12.