iWorld
YouTube Rewind: What India watched in 2015
MUMBAI: 2015 has been an exciting year on YouTube in India. One saw more and more people consuming content on digital platforms, with YouTube leading the pack. YouTube has garnered a huge fan following not only in terms of the audience but also amongst original content creators in India. While YouTubers like All India Bakchod (AIB) and The Viral Fever (TVF) rose to superstardom, an array of new players also joined in to professionally create videos for YouTube. Even big screen celebrities were seen more open to experimenting with artists online.
As per YouTube Rewind, the top trending YouTube video in India in 2015 was AIB: ‘Every Bollywood Party Song feat. Irrfan,’ followed by ‘Chhota Bheem – aur – Krishna Jodi No. #1.’
In spite of the huge surge in original digital content from YouTubers, it is mainstream media, which still commands YouTube viewership. As per the data, six out of 10 in the list of top most trending videos on YouTube belong to mainstream media, including television and film.
The data also sheds light on the fact that in 2015, comedy ruled in India. This is evident as five out of top 10 most viewed videos on YouTube were of the comedy genre.
Grabbing the first spot is the amusing comic music video by AIB: ‘Every Bollywood Party Song feat. Irrfan,’ which redefined comedy and gave the video a very refreshing twist. AIB’s ‘Honest Indian Weddings (Part 1),’ ‘PK movie Spoof,’ TVF’s ‘Barely Speaking with Arnub | Arvind Kejriwal’ are amongst the other top trending comedy videos, which were placed in the list of top 10.
2015 was also a good year for music with Honey Singh’s ‘Dheere Dheere Se Meri Zindagi video song (OFFICIAL),’ ‘Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan Video Song’ and ‘Badshah – DJ Waley Babu’ being the top most trending music video locally.
iWorld
Why Peaky Blinders is one of television’s biggest hits that still deserves more attention
Six seasons, multiple awards and the release of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man bring the Shelby saga back into the spotlight
In the crowded universe of streaming content, only a handful of shows manage to leave a lasting cultural footprint. Peaky Blinders is overwhelmingly considered one of the biggest global hits of the past decade. Yet many viewers still haven’t fully explored the dark, gripping world of the Shelby family.
Originally produced for the UK’s BBC and later finding a massive global audience through Netflix, the series quietly grew from a British period drama into a worldwide streaming phenomenon.
Created by Steven Knight, the show follows the rise of the Shelby crime family in post-First World War Birmingham. What begins as a gritty street-gang story gradually expands into a sweeping narrative about ambition, politics, power and survival.
At the centre of the saga is Thomas Shelby, portrayed with extraordinary depth by Cillian Murphy. The casting of Murphy is widely regarded as perfect for the role. With piercing eyes, restrained dialogue and an almost hypnotic screen presence, he transforms Shelby into one of the most unforgettable characters in modern screen storytelling.
Murphy’s brilliance lies in his restraint. He rarely shouts or performs theatrically. Instead, a quiet stare, a calculated pause or a subtle shift in expression conveys the emotional storms within the character. Beneath the ruthless gang leader is a war veteran carrying trauma, guilt and loneliness. Murphy captures this complexity with remarkable precision, making Thomas Shelby both terrifying and deeply human.
Beyond its central performance, Peaky Blinders stands out for its unfiltered portrayal of reality. The show does not romanticise crime. Instead, it exposes the harsh social conditions of early 20th-century Britain, from poverty and class struggle to political extremism and the psychological scars left by war.
The series also presents powerful female characters who hold their own within the Shelby empire. Polly Gray, played by Helen McCrory, is the strategic backbone of the family and one of the most formidable figures in the story. Women in the series shape decisions, influence power structures and challenge the rigid social norms of the time.
Across six seasons, the narrative grows dramatically in scale. What begins in the smoky streets of Birmingham evolves into a story involving political conspiracies, fascism and international criminal networks.
The series has also earned significant critical acclaim. It won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series in 2018 and multiple National Television Awards for Best Drama, cementing its reputation as one of Britain’s most celebrated modern shows.
Another defining feature of the series is its iconic music. The show’s opening theme, Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, became instantly recognisable and widely associated with the Shelby universe. Combined with a powerful soundtrack featuring artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead, the music helped shape the show’s dark, stylish identity and became hugely popular among fans.
And the Shelby story is not over yet.
In fact, its legacy is unfolding right now. The long-awaited feature-length continuation, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, was released on March 6, 2026, bringing the Shelby universe from streaming screens to cinemas and giving fans a new chapter in the saga.
For viewers who have not yet stepped into this world, the timing could not be better.
Six gripping seasons are ready to binge on Netflix. A new film has just arrived in theatres. And at the heart of it all stands one of the most magnetic performances in modern drama by Cillian Murphy.
So if Peaky Blinders has been sitting on your watchlist for years, this weekend is your moment.
So, by order of the Peaky fookin’ Blinders, consider this your cue to finally step into the ruthless world of Thomas Shelby. Pour yourself a drink, clear your schedule and press the play button. Because when the Peaky Blinders give an order, you listen.
