iWorld
Contiloe Pictures ventures into digital
MUMBAI: For more than two decades, Contiloe Pictures has been entertaining viewers on television through its premium content. This year, the production house is ready to enter the digital space and cater to the viewers of OTT platforms. The company’s first digital series State of Siege: 26/11 will premiere on ZEE5 on 20 March.
In an interaction with Indiantelevision.com, Contiloe Pictures founder-producer Abhimanyu Singh said, “We want to focus on telling stories, from across the spectrum – local, regional or national. Currently, we moved into the digital space, plus we are looking at visual effects and animation in a big way. We have a new facility started in Bhubaneswar and we are housing a few artists there. We are increasing our overall post production spends. All these will be new growth engines even as the traditional platform will continue to be our focus area.”
The company spent a year researching and studying before producing digital content. “We started working on the story early last year when we acquired the rights to the book "Black Torando". Sandeep Unnithan, who came on board, had thoroughly researched for two years. We also got on board Lt Col Sandeep Sen who was second-in-command of the operation in Mumbai. He hand-held us through the whole making process right from research to how commandos operate in anti-insurgency,” said Singh.
He further said, “26/11 lasted for four days and it also has the aspect of a Pakistan-based terror house that trained nine attackers to attack in Mumbai. If we look at the whole story there is an angle of how the attack was planned, how media covered it and one of the NSC commandos (which nobody has explored) and how they fought with those terrorists. In the series you will get to see exactly what happened inside the attack and how our commandos did the whole anti-insurgency operations. This 360 degree angle has never been presented from the commandos' point of view.”
Singh said that the book takes into account all the three sieges of attack and how it happened, who were the perpetrators and how our black cat commando liberated the three sieges of Mumbai. "It’s a large enough story to be able to delve into an eight-hour format. The exciting part is that it’s a new space for us in the way we have approached doing it and the way we have prepped and crewed up for it. It has been a truly enriching experience for us,” said Singh.
The company acquired "Black Torando"’s rights to produce content specifically for OTT. Singh said, “When we decided to make shows for digital space we want to study it in the right manner. Now, finally we are getting a product that we are satisfied of. I believe it’s never too late or too early unless things are done right. The show that I make I should be able to do it in a right manner, so the way I prep for it, the way I produce it or the post- production everything should be done within the confines of creating premium content and that is what we have focused on. It’s a two-year job we have studied, learn, and applied and then we are entering the digital space.”
On the relation with ZEE5, Singh said that it has a big and large audience base and is experimenting too. "We find that this is the time to tell different kinds of stories. We have something in the pipeline and we want to take it organically; we don’t want to rush in,” he added.
On television, Contiloe has worked on genres like horror, thriller, comedy, mythology and historical and that helped in moving into the digital space.
Contiloe's current running shows on television include Tenali Rama and Vighnaharta Ganesh, both which recently completed successful 500 episodes. It has also previously created shows like Veer Shivaji, Jhansi ki Rani, Mahabali Hanuman, Chakravartin Ashoka Samrat, Maharana Pratap, Ssshhhh…Koi Hai amongst others which have achieved milestones in terms of their ratings, audience reception and appreciation.
Singh reiterated that TV continues to yield the same results. "Now TV is being consumed on digital so, there are new sets of audiences coming in. On digital we need to prep well and stand out. There are so many digital shows but only a handful of shows can be remembered. Both have their different set of challenges and both will continue to grow.”
He is aware that there are new types of audiences evolving and a change in television programming is required to cater to them.
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.
