iWorld
Asian Paints returns with Season 9 of Where The Heart Is
MUMBAI: When doors open and guards drop, homes tend to speak louder than words. That idea sits at the heart of Asian Paints’ long-running storytelling property, Where The Heart Is, which has returned with its ninth season marking more than a decade of chronicling how India’s most recognisable faces actually live when the cameras are no longer rolling.
Launched at an event that blended reflection with quiet nostalgia, Season 9 was positioned not as a reinvention, but as a natural evolution of a platform that has steadily grown alongside changing lifestyles. Opening the season, Asian Paints MD and CEO Amit Syngle traced the origins of the property to the brand’s long-held belief that homes are emotional spaces rather than physical structures. Long before décor trends became social currency, Asian Paints had framed the home as a place of memory, identity and continuity, an idea that later crystallised into its iconic Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai philosophy.
That belief, Syngle noted, has only become more relevant with time. As lives get faster and more fragmented, homes remain the one space where people pause, reflect and express who they really are. Where The Heart Is was born from that insight, offering audiences a rare chance to see public personalities in their most private setting away from scripts, applause and performance.
Over the past decade, the digital-first series has grown into one of the brand’s most enduring content properties. It has crossed over 1.5 billion cumulative views, featured more than 50 personalities and opened the doors to over 60 homes across India and abroad. What began as an experiment in long-form digital storytelling has since become a reference point for branded content that prioritises emotion over interruption.
Season 9 builds on that legacy while introducing subtle but significant shifts. This year’s edition opens five distinctive homes, each rooted in a different geography, profession and phase of life. The new line-up includes Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal, Gautam Gambhir, Keerthy Suresh with Antony Thattil, Archana Puran Singh alongside Parmeet Sethi, and entrepreneur Aman Gupta with Priya Gupta.
While the personalities may be familiar, the stories are deliberately intimate. The season leans away from celebrity spectacle and towards everyday details shared meals, favourite corners, inherited furniture, walls layered with memories. Homes are presented not as styled sets, but as living spaces shaped by routine, compromise and affection.
One of the most notable shifts this season is the focus on families. Previous editions often centred on individual journeys; Season 9 places equal emphasis on partners, children and shared decision-making. Viewers see how décor choices become conversations, how renovations reflect evolving priorities, and how personal taste is often negotiated rather than imposed.
The storytelling continues to be helmed by Motion co-founder Joshua Karthik Stories in who has been associated with the property since its early years. Speaking at the launch, Karthik described the series as an exercise in peeling back personas. Once the lights, makeup and public roles are stripped away, what remains is a quieter, more relatable version of the person revealed through the way they inhabit their home.
This year, that intimacy is heightened by a strong theme of transformation. Several episodes explore how spaces change over time through repainting, redesigning, or simply reimagining how a room is used. Rather than showcasing grand makeovers, the series highlights achievable changes: a wall turned into a memory archive, a neglected corner given new purpose, or textures and finishes used to reflect emotional milestones.
That focus mirrors a broader cultural shift. Indian homeowners today are increasingly invested in personalisation, seeing décor not as a one-time project but as an ongoing expression of self. Season 9 taps into this mindset, subtly positioning homes as evolving narratives rather than finished products.
Digitally, Where The Heart Is continues to straddle formats with ease. Designed for relaxed, on-demand viewing, the episodes lend themselves equally to OTT platforms and social feeds, where shorter clips travel widely. Asian Paints has deliberately kept the tone unhurried allowing stories to unfold organically, without the urgency or gloss of traditional advertising.
The result is content that feels observational rather than promotional. The brand’s presence is embedded in the process of transformation and storytelling, not foregrounded as a sales pitch. For viewers, the appeal lies in recognition, the quiet sense that while the homes belong to celebrities, the emotions within them are universal.
As Season 9 rolls out, Where The Heart Is reinforces its place as a cultural archive of sorts, documenting how Indian homes and the people within them continue to evolve. In doing so, Asian Paints once again underscores a simple but enduring truth: trends may change, platforms may shift, but the emotional language of home remains timeless.
iWorld
Prime Video unveils biggest India originals slate yet
Nearly 55 titles across languages signal deeper push into films, series
MUMBAI: Prime Video is turning up the volume on Indian storytelling, unveiling its largest-ever Originals slate at the ‘Prime Video Presents’ showcase, with close to 55 series and films spanning languages, genres and formats.
The new lineup, which stretches across Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, signals a clear intent: go bigger, go wider, and meet audiences wherever they are watching, whether on streaming screens or in cinemas. Alongside Originals, the platform also announced a fresh theatrical slate under Amazon MGM Studios, marking a deeper step into the big-screen business.
Among the headline acts is The Revolutionaries, a large-scale drama from Nikkhil Advani starring Bhuvan Bam and Rohit Saraf. The slate also features Matka King with Vijay Varma, Raakh starring Ali Fazal and Sonali Bendre, and Lukkhe, which marks rapper King’s acting debut. Adding a genre twist is Vansh – The Kalyug Warriors, positioned as India’s first homegrown Hindi superhero series for streaming.
Familiar favourites are also making a return, with new seasons of Farzi, Panchayat, Call Me Bae, Dupahiya, Dahaad and The Traitors in the pipeline, reinforcing the platform’s bet on established franchises.
Regional storytelling gets a notable push. Highlights include a Telugu adaptation of The Traitors hosted by Teja Sajja, the drama Guvvala Cheruvu Ghat, and Tamil titles such as Exam and returning seasons of Vadhandhi and Inspector Rishi.
The slate also opens new creative partnerships. Hrithik Roshan’s HRX Films steps into streaming with Storm and Mess, while Alia Bhatt’s Eternal Sunshine Productions backs Don’t Be Shy. Production houses including Excel Entertainment, Tiger Baby Films and The Viral Fever further deepen the creative bench.
On the theatrical front, the platform is lining up five films, including Raftaar starring Rajkummar Rao and Keerthy Suresh, VIBE directed by Kunal Kemmu, Dilkashi with music by A. R. Rahman, Nayyi Navelli featuring Yami Gautam, and Kuku Ki Kundli starring Wamiqa Gabbi.
According to Prime Video India director and head of Svod business Shilangi Mukherji, India remains central to the platform’s global growth, ranking among its top markets for new subscribers. She noted that nearly two-thirds of users watch content in more than four languages, underlining a growing appetite for diverse storytelling.
Prime Video India director and head of originals Nikhil Madhok, said the new slate reflects a continued push towards bold, culturally rooted narratives with global appeal.
In short, Prime Video is not just adding titles, it is widening the lens. From small-town dramas to superhero sagas and cinema-ready spectacles, the message is simple: more stories, more voices, and far more ways to watch them.
