ZEE5 unveils new Bangla slate spanning originals, sports and AI

MUMBAI: Bengal has a new story to tell, and ZEE5 is giving it quite a few chapters. The streaming platform has unveiled its latest Bangla slate, bringing returning franchises, new originals, AI-powered storytelling, animation, kids’ entertainment and live sports under its Notun Banglar, Notun Golpo (New Bengal. New Stories.) proposition.

The slate brings together familiar names and new voices across movies, series, live sports, AI-powered storytelling, animation and kids’ entertainment, as ZEE5 looks to expand its Bangla offering while keeping its storytelling rooted in Bengal’s cultural identity.

The platform is also continuing and announcing collaborations with production houses including Acropolis Entertainment, Surinder Films, Why So Serious?, Anjan Dutta Productions, Eye Wash Entertainment, Raj Chakraborty Entertainment and Vikram Chatterjee Films, among others.

Returning franchises form a significant part of the line-up. Lalbazaar 2, featuring Anirban Bhattacharya and directed by Shayantan Ghoshal, is back, alongside Shwetkali 2, starring Oindrila Sen and Surangana Banerjee and directed by Sani Ghosh Roy.

Also returning are Shikarpur 2, directed by Nirjhar and starring Ankush, and Kaalipotka 2, directed by Abhirup Ghosh and featuring Swastika, Shruti, Sheya and Himika. Mahaproloy, starring Saswata Chatterjee and directed by Raj Chakraborty, will serve as a sequel to Abar Proloy 2.

The new slate broadens the mix with crime thrillers, romance, comedy and contemporary drama. Titles include Aloor Dosh, featuring Saurav Das, Satyam Bhattacharya and Sandipta and directed by Joydip Banerjee; Taarkata, starring Vikram Chatterjee, Priyanka Sarkar and Meiyang Chang; and Prem Shots, featuring Bonny Sengupta, Angana Roy and Shreya Gupto and directed by Srimanta Senguptta.

The line-up also includes Osthir, directed by Arjit Chakraborty; Priyo Bondhu, directed by Neel Dutta and Anjan Dutta; Bakhtiyar er Swarnamudra; Nari Choritro Bejay Jotil, starring Ankush and Oindrila; and Nibba Nibbi, featuring Rishav Basu and Sauraseni Maitra.

ZEE5 is also taking its Bangla offering beyond conventional live-action storytelling. Its AI-powered and animated slate includes Garud – Ek Yodha Ki Gatha, Narmada Manasa Sundari, Vikram Betal, Shiv Sati – Ek Anant Prem Kahani, Param Sundari Chandrakanta, Tirupati Balaji, Ram Anjaney Yuddh and Aiyappan.

For younger audiences, the platform is adding titles such as Shivlok Ke Kundakka Mandakka, further extending the slate into kids’ entertainment.

And for viewers who prefer their drama with a scoreboard, the Bangla offering is also getting a live sports boost. ZEE5 will feature FIFA, Bundesliga and Coppa Italia, bringing international football properties to audiences in Bengal.

Rusa Banerjee, Business Head, Bangla ZEE5, said the platform’s returning franchises reflect the audience’s attachment to established story worlds, while newer titles represent the next phase of Bangla storytelling. She added that AI and animation would expand how audiences experience these stories.

With its latest slate, ZEE5 is effectively putting old favourites and new formats on the same stage from crime and romance to football and AI. The bigger play is clear: keep Bengal’s storytelling identity at the centre while giving audiences increasingly different ways to consume it.