iWorld
Known actors profitable to web series: ALTBalaji’s Manav Sethi
MUMBAI: Bollywood actors are seeking refuge in TV and online series. The spurt of content with known big-screen faces points to a trend of getting value out of their established names.
ALTBalaji has launched a plethora of shows with A-list names. “It is more profitable to sign an actor when he does justice to the role and the script does justice to the actor. It is not about celebrity or non-celebrity. We are the first one to sign Rajkumar Rao for an online series. We, as creative shop and storytellers, don’t go behind celebrities, we go behind actors,” says ALTBalaji CMO Manav Sethi.
Actor selection is not dependent on his one time success or failure. “When we script, we check which talent will be suitable,” he adds.
The actor’s fee in movies is significantly higher than web series. Actors are paid in the range of Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore for a series, which is significantly less than their movie fee. What makes them settle? Sethi answers, “Movie is a medium that is restricted and constricted whereas online shows give them a lot more freedom, versatility and options and I believe that entices them.” He adds that another crucial factor is the ability of web series to reach out to far and diverse audiences.
The tactic also works for the creator because they can ensure their work reaches millions of people with less marketing and communication. The production cost goes up by 25-50 per cent if they sign a known face.
ALTBalaji launched a web series The Test Case on Republic Day with actors like Juhi Chawla, Nimrat Kaur and Rahul Dev. A few days back, ALT had roped in Vivek Oberoi for its upcoming web series Family (working title). Before that, it came up with Bose: Dead or Alive with Rajkumar Rao. Earlier, Ragini MMS Returns had the Bengali beauty Riya Sen. Soon, Haq Se will stream with Bollywood actors like Rajeev Khandelwal and Surveen Chawla in the lead.
ALTBalaji is heating up the online content game by releasing web series back to back in 2018 with the promise of doing about 200-250 hours of original content this year. The VoD player is betting high on popular Bollywood and TV actors, which increases the cost but still gets them significantly better results.
Also Read :
Regional content on ALTBalaji to constitute 15% of show hours
ALTBalaji bets big on first-time producers with Haq Se
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.
