iWorld
India flatten New Zealand to clinch T20 World Cup in record-breaking tournament
Suryakumar Yadav’s men deliver a masterclass as the sub-continent goes cricket mad
MUMBAI: India did not merely win the T20 World Cup. They demolished their opposition. A hapless New Zealand, thrashed by 96 runs in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad — packed to its 120,000-capacity rafters — were left shellshocked as captain Suryakumar Yadav lifted the ICC Trophy aloft to a roar that seemed to shake the sub-continent itself.
It was, by any measure, a rout. New Zealand had no answers. India had all of them.
Off the field, the numbers were just as staggering. The tournament, co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India, drew an attendance of 1.2m across its various venues — a record for any World Cup competition. Harsha Bhogle, cricket’s most mellifluous voice, announced the milestone during the presentation ceremony with the relish of a man who knew he was narrating history.
The digital stands were even more heaving. JioHotstar, the tournament’s streaming partner, clocked 72 million concurrent streams during the competition. The final alone racked up 800m views on the platform — a number that makes most streaming executives weep with envy and most advertisers reach instinctively for their chequebooks.
Cricket, it turns out, does not merely survive on the sub-continent. It swallows it whole.
For New Zealand, there is the long flight home and the longer memory of a mauling. For India, there is a trophy, a record, and the certain knowledge that when it comes to T20 cricket, they are not just the best team in the world — they are in a different game entirely.
iWorld
Subedaar puts Indian original cinema on the global map with record-breaking Prime Video debut
MUMBAI: Prime Video has a runaway hit on its hands. Subedaar, the gritty action drama starring Anil Kapoor, has stormed to become the most-watched Indian original movie on the platform in its opening weekend, cracking the Top 10 across 31 countries and landing in 91 per cent of India’s pin codes within days of its March 5 premiere.
The film, a visceral, emotionally-charged story of a retired soldier, Subedaar Arjun Maurya, wrestling with civilian life amid crime and corruption, has struck a nerve. Directed by Suresh Triveni and co-starring Radhikka Madan, Mona Singh, Saurabh Shukla, Aditya Rawal, Faisal Malik, and Khushboo Sundar, the film is already being hailed as a showcase for what Indian original storytelling can achieve on the world stage.
“Subedaar’s success is a reflection of the growing scale and global resonance of Indian storytelling,” said Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India. “The film’s emotional narrative, its rooted portrayal of a soldier confronting his toughest battles beyond the battlefield, has struck a chord. Anil Kapoor delivers an acting masterclass, while Suresh Triveni’s solid direction and great performances from the ensemble cast have resulted in love and appreciation from customers across the world.”
Kapoor, 62, has been here before, but rarely at this altitude. Written by Triveni and Prajwal Chandrashekar, with dialogues by Triveni, Saurabh Dwivedi, and Chandrashekar, the film is a production by Opening Image Films in association with Anil Kapoor Film & Communication Network (AKFCN), produced by Vikram Malhotra, Kapoor, and Triveni.
Subedaar streams exclusively on Prime Video in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu across India, and in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.
For Prime Video, the numbers tell the real story: one weekend, one film, a global footprint, and a very loud signal that Indian original cinema is no longer just travelling well. It’s arriving.
