iWorld
Ekalavya Bhattacharya appointed Offbeet Media Group’s chief digital officer
Mumbai: After successfully launching and running the OTT platform of Balaji – ALT Balaji, Ekalavya Bhattacharya has joined the new age media and content company, Offbeet Media group to set up and lead the esports and web3 verticals for the group. With this move, FusedBulb, a creative-tech company started by Bhattacharya that offers web3 and blockchain strategy, would also be merging into Offbeet Media.
He joins Offbeet Media after a stint at Alt Balaji as chief strategy officer & creative director. Prior to that, as MTV India digital head, he was also instrumental in charting the map for the digital and social growth for MTV India with many award winning campaigns and properties to his credit.
“The gaming industry today, globally, is bigger than movie + sports combined. It’s growing rapidly across mobile, PC and console markets in India as well. Within gaming, esports is capturing the imagination of everyone in the media industry and is the most attractive route to connect with GenZ and millennials today. With streaming and game-casting audiences growing month-on-month, this is a super exciting space to be in! We want to set up India’s most definitive Esports Academy and be the leaders in the event space for competitive gaming!” he said.
He will also be setting up the web3 vertical for the group. “Web3 is the natural progression for the evolution of the web. The opportunities in the Metaverse, decentralised eco-systems, NFTs and blockchain tech is endless. Right from consumer engagement, immersive experiences, efficiency in supply chains, Web3 is the way to go and we are excited to be the go-to guys for brands in this space,” he said.
Offbeet Media Group founder & CEO Jaideep Singh said “At Offbeet we have been continuously evolving and expanding, entering into new streams of business lines in sync with our vision of being a New Age media and content company and we are super excited to have Bhattacharya joining us. He will bolster our business offering and overall capabilities in the digital footprint across all our rapidly growing business lines.”
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.
