iWorld
Zee5 announces its next thriller ‘Forensic’
Mumbai: Building on its success with thrillers, Zee5 has announced its next project “Forensic” featuring Vikrant Massey and Radhika Apte. The psychological thriller also stars Prachi Desai, Vindu Dara Singh, and Rohit Roy in pivotal roles.
Directed by Vishal Furia, “Forensic” is the Hindi remake of a Malayalam film of the same name and is set to premiere on Zee5 this year. It is produced by Mini Films and Soham Rockstar Entertainment.
2022 saw a slew of thrillers including “Mithya,” “Love Hostel,” “Bloody Brothers,” and a glimpse of “Abhay 3” premiering on the platform.
“Thrillers have been one of our best performing genres. In fact, starting 2022 we have introduced successful titles like Mithya, Love Hostel, Bloody Brothers, along with the upcoming Abhay 3,” said Zee5 India CBO Manish Kalra. “With this particular genre witnessing an overwhelming response from audiences, we’ve taken a concerted effort to diversify our content slate further with respect to thrillers as a category. In line with this strategy, we are happy to bring yet another intriguing title Forensic, with a prominent star-cast for our viewers.”
“Forensic is one of those projects where we just knew that we had to make it. The film is a complete edge-of-the-seat thriller that will keep you hooked. ZEE5 has given a platform to many unique and important stories, and it has a wide reach globally so we are excited to be presenting ‘Forensic’ on this platform,” added producer Deepak Mukut.
“A milligram of DNA can reveal the identity of a person. Forensic is a taut thriller with twists that will surprise and facts that will shock the viewers,” remarked director Vishal Furia.
Gaming
Sony raises PS5 prices for second time in under a year
US disc edition jumps $100 to $649.99 as memory costs surge.
MUMBAI: Sony just hit the pause button on affordable gaming because when memory prices skyrocket, even the Playstation has to pay the premium. Sony has announced its second price increase for the Playstation 5 range in less than a year, citing pressures in the global economic landscape and a sharp rise in memory component costs driven by AI demand.
In the US, the PS5 disc edition will rise from $549.99 to $649.99, a $100 hike while the digital edition increases to $599.99. The more powerful PS5 Pro will jump $150 to $899.99. The Playstation Portal remote player will also rise by $50 to $249.99. The new prices take effect on 2 April 2026.
Similar increases have been applied in the UK (£90 per model), Europe and Japan. Sony last raised PS5 prices in the US in August 2025.
“We know that price changes impact our community, and after careful evaluation, we found this was a necessary step to ensure we can continue delivering innovative, high-quality gaming experiences to players worldwide,” Sony said in a blog post.
The hikes come amid an unprecedented surge in memory prices, as manufacturers prioritise supply for AI data centres. Analysts say Sony had likely secured price protections for components that have now expired, forcing the company to protect its hardware margins.
Ampere Analysis research director of games Piers Harding-Rolls told CNBC that further increases from Microsoft and Nintendo would not be surprising, though Nintendo may hesitate to raise the price of its recently launched Switch 2 while establishing the new platform.
The increases arrive eight months before the highly anticipated release of GTA 6, which is expected to drive strong console sales. However, early reactions online have been a mix of disappointment and resignation, with growing concern that premium gaming is increasingly becoming a hobby for higher-income players.
In a sector already grappling with tariffs, inflation and component shortages, Sony’s move underscores a tough reality: even the most popular consoles are not immune to the rising cost of keeping up with the latest technology.
