iWorld
Plot Twists and Popcorn Make This Diwali a Blockbuster on Zee5
MUMBAI: This Diwali, forget lighting diyas light up your screens instead. Zee5 is turning the festive season into a cinematic celebration with its new campaign “Iss Diwali, sirf Zee5 par plot badlega… ho jao ready!” and the Bharat Binge Festival, where every twist, turn, and tale promises a reason to binge.
Breaking away from the typical feel-good festive narratives, Zee5’s latest campaign adds a thrilling spin to Diwali viewing. Drawing from deep audience insights, the platform found that while family dramas and romances remain festival staples, Indian viewers are increasingly leaning towards edge-of-the-seat thrillers, mysteries, and crime dramas. And this festival, Zee5 is giving them exactly that stories that surprise, shock, and stay with you long after the credits roll.
The Bharat Binge Festival celebrates India’s love for storytelling with a curated line-up of premieres across seven languages Hindi, Marathi, Bangla, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada. Think Bhagwat Chapter One – Raakshas, Mrs Dasgupta, Sthal, Veduvan, and Sumathi Valuvu all under one digital roof, uniting diverse regions with one shared festive emotion: great stories.
Adding more sparkle, Zee5 has rolled out special festive offers between 13 and 20 October. Viewers can grab the Hindi content pack for Rs 149 (down from Rs 199), regional packs for Rs 59 (down from Rs 99), and the all access pack for Rs 249 (regularly Rs 299). The festival gets even bigger with partner perks guaranteed cashback via Paytm UPI Autopay and Cred UPI Autopay, plus a three-month JioSaavn Pro trial bundled with Zee5 subscriptions.
“Every Diwali tells a story of tradition and togetherness. With the Bharat Binge Festival, we’ve curated bold, genre-led stories that resonate across every language and mood,” said Zee5 chief business officer Siju Prabhakaran.
ZEEL chief marketing officer Kartik Mahadev added, “The campaign captures India’s growing appetite for stories that blend curiosity, emotion, and surprise. Much like Diwali itself, every twist on Zee5 lights up with excitement.”
From high-octane thrillers to heartwarming romances, this Diwali is less about sweets and more about story treats. With out-of-home, digital, and social promotions rolling out nationwide, Zee5 is set to make the festival of lights shine brighter, one binge at a time.
Because this year, the real firecrackers are the plot twists.
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.
