iWorld
Amazon Prime Video wins big at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2021
Mumbai: Amazon Prime Video scoops a massive win at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2021 which has announced its winners for the year. IFFM is the largest of-its-kind festival in Australia celebrating the best of Indian cinema in all its forms. The festival showcases a wide range of Indian content and encapsulates the best of entertainment from the Indian sub-continent.
Amazon Original titles like the crime drama series “Mirzapur Season 2” has won in the category for ‘best web series’, Suriya Sivakumar and Vidya Balan have bagged the honors for ‘best performances in leading roles’ for their stellar acts in “Soorarai Pottru” and “Sherni” respectively.
Post the successful second season, The Family Man ‘Srikant Tewari’ has aced his TASC yet again with Manoj Bajpayee winning the award for ‘best actor (male) in a web series’. Marking her digital debut with this espionage thriller, Samantha Akkineni won the award for ‘best actor (female) in a web series’. In addition to this, the Malayalam family drama, “The Great Indian Kitchen” has earned recognition in the category of ‘equality in cinema (feature)’.
“The many wins at the prestigious Indian Film Festival of Melbourne are a reinforcement that our efforts to create and curate for our consumers are working,” said Amazon Prime Video spokesperson. “It’s also a recognition of the hard work of the team, the entire cast and crew of our titles. The last year wasn’t an easy year for any of us, at Prime Video we are happy to bring joy to the safety and comfort of consumers’ homes across the world.”
An elated Vidya Balan remarked, “Sherni has been special for me not only for the character I got to play but because it delved into a space, lesser explored in cinema. It’s a relevant subject that needed to be told. This award is for my team. I am also thankful to the audience for all the love and this award is the icing on the cake.”
On Soorarai Pottru’s big win, lead actor and producer of the film, Suriya said, “This film has been made with a lot of heart and to finally witness it getting recognised on a global platform is heartwarming and incredibly special. It’s a huge honour for us as a team and I am thankful to Amazon Prime Video for making the film reach audiences globally and my fans for showering so much love.”
Manoj Bajpayee said, “I will always be short of words to describe the adulation The Family Man has garnered the world over and this award just scales up the honour further. As an artist, I am inspired and motivated to do better with every role that comes my way hereon and stay true to my craft.”
Samantha Akkineni shared, “The character of ‘Raji’ was one of the most layered and intense roles of my career that called for a lot of preparation and forced me to dig deep. I am thankful to Raj & DK for conceiving such a powerful female character and for being able to see me beyond the ‘cute girl’ image that many couldn’t look past. I am grateful to the jury at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne for this honour and I look forward to more of such groundbreaking roles as an actor.”
iWorld
Prime Video drops trailer for Lukkhe, a rap crime drama starring KING in his acting debut
Eight episodes of revenge, redemption and hard-hitting rap arrive on the streaming platform on 8th May
MUMBAI: Prime Video has unveiled the trailer for Lukkhe, an eight-episode musical action drama built around the world of rap, crime and bruised relationships — and it has done so in suitably loud fashion, launching it at a live concert in Mumbai featuring electrifying performances by KING, Amira Gill, Akshath, Raashii Khanna, Ruaa Kayy and RUTVXK. As if that were not enough, the show’s music album was also dropped at the event, in collaboration with exclusive music streaming partner Amazon Music and music label Warner Music India.
The series is directed by Himank Gaur and produced by Vipul D. Shah and Rajesh Bahl under the banners of Optimystix Entertainment and White Guerrilla LLP. It is created and executive produced by Agrim Joshi and Debojit Das Purkayastha.
The cast is the talking point. KING, the acclaimed Indian rapper and songwriter, makes his acting debut as MC Badnaam, a performer consumed by rivalry and hunger for recognition. Raashii Khanna, returning to Prime Video after Farzi, plays Gurbani. Palak Tiwari, making her streaming debut, plays Sanober. Lakshvir Singh Saran plays Lucky. The ensemble also includes Nakul Roshan Sahdev, Kritika Bharadwaj, Shivankit Parihar, Yograj Singh and Ayesha Raza Mishra in pivotal roles.
The trailer plants its flag squarely in the tension between MC Badnaam and his rival MC OG, played by Parihar, while threading in the love story between Lucky and Sanober. The soundtrack, which spans hard-hitting rap anthems to emotionally charged melodies, is as much a character in the show as any of its leads.
Gaur was candid about what drew him to the project. “Lukkhe gave me a chance to dive into a world that’s loud, emotional, and constantly on edge,” he said. “What stayed with me was how every character is chasing something personal, and music becomes their way of expressing it. Working with this cast, especially KING in his debut, along with Raashii, Lakshvir, and Palak, was incredibly rewarding because they brought honesty that elevated every moment.”
Khanna reflected on her character with evident relish. “Playing Gurbani in Lukkhe was a really intense and fulfilling experience,” she said. “What I found most interesting was how her strength comes from something deeply personal, which shapes every decision she makes. It was about finding that balance between vulnerability and grit.”
KING, stepping in front of the camera for the first time, was characteristically direct. “Stepping into Lukkhe as MC Badnaam has been a defining moment for me,” he said. “What drew me in was how real his hunger and need to be heard felt. It’s something I connect with as an artist. Bringing music into his journey made the experience even more personal.”
Tiwari described the role as a first on multiple fronts. “It was my first time working with Prime Video, and the whole experience felt new and creatively satisfying,” she said. “Being part of a story that has both intense and heartfelt moments, along with a team that brought so much honesty to it, made this journey truly memorable.”
Saran, for his part, zeroed in on what made Lucky tick. “Lucky is someone who’s trying to move forward while still carrying the weight of his past, and that push-pull made him really interesting to explore,” he said. “There’s a sincerity to his journey that I hope people connect with.”
Lukkhe premieres on Prime Video in Hindi on 8th May, across India and in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. In a streaming landscape drowning in crime dramas, this one is betting that putting a rapper at its centre – and meaning it – is enough to cut through the noise. On the evidence of the trailer, it might just be right.
