iWorld
First Copy hits play on nostalgia with Munawar’s smashing screen debut
MUMBAI: Some stories deserve to be pirated, others, like this one, deserve to be binge-watched. The 90s are back but not through disco beats or bell bottoms. This time, they come wrapped in bootlegged DVDs, fuzzy frames, and gripping plotlines. RVCJ Media and Salt Media’s new original series First Copy, streaming for free on Amazon MX Player since 20 June, is already being hailed as a cult classic in the making.
And who’s leading the charge? None other than stand-up star Munawar Faruqui, making his acting debut as the conflicted protagonist of a world where piracy was more than a crime, it was culture, jugaad, and, often, survival.
Unveiled with a starry premiere in Mumbai on 19 June, First Copy has gone from “what’s that?” to “must-watch” in a matter of hours. A 10-episode deep dive into the murky film-underbelly of 90s Mumbai, the series crackles with energy, edge, and emotional heft offering not just a nostalgic trip, but a raw commentary on access, ambition and grey morality.
The show follows a compelling storyline centred on bootleg cinema and the men who made their living dubbing dreams onto tape. Faruqui’s performance has earned widespread applause, with fans and industry insiders alike praising his screen presence and the show’s faithful recreation of a long-gone era of pirated passion.
Firdaus Sayed of Salt Media, who produced the series, summed it up as a “love letter to a generation that experienced cinema not in theatres, but around flickering living room screens.”
And RVCJ Media CEO Shahid Javed doesn’t mince words, “This is not just content, it’s a cultural movement.”
With a 60M plus digital footprint and a penchant for emotionally resonant stories, RVCJ’s evolution into long-form originals seems both organic and electric. And Salt Media’s grounded storytelling sensibilities have clearly helped shape a series that celebrates hustle, heart and the VHS days of movie-watching in India.
Whether you’re a child of the 90s or just someone craving content that cuts through, First Copy is anything but a duplicate, it’s the real deal.
iWorld
Shemaroo buys OHO Gujarati’s entire content library for ShemarooMe
The deal lands over 30 original web series and 450-plus actors on ShemarooMe, with Pratik Gandhi’s Vitthal Teedi leading the charge
MUMBAI: Shemaroo Entertainment has moved fast and moved big. The company has snapped up the entire content library of OHO Gujarati for its streaming platform ShemarooMe, a consolidation that has no precedent in the Gujarati OTT market.
The haul is considerable. More than 30 original Gujarati web series, featuring the work of upwards of 450 local actors, will now sit under ShemarooMe’s roof. For a platform that has spent years quietly building its Gujarati credentials, including originals, curated libraries, and culturally rooted narratives, this is the kind of bulk acquisition that changes the competitive arithmetic overnight.
Saurabh Srivastava, chief operating officer for digital business at Shemaroo Entertainment, made clear the company’s ambitions stretch well beyond the subcontinent. “As we bring the well-established catalogue of OHO Gujarati onto ShemarooMe, our focus remains on making high-quality Gujarati stories more accessible while continuing to invest in compelling content,” he said. “With our strong connection to Gujarati viewers across the world, we believe these stories from the OHO catalogue can travel far and create an exciting entertainment offering for viewers.”
The first title out of the traps will be Vitthal Teedi, which hits ShemarooMe on April 10th. The series stars Pratik Gandhi, a name that needs no introduction to Gujarati audiences, and has the distinction of being the only Gujarati web series he has appeared in to date. Set in the heartland of Saurashtra during the 1980s, it traces a small-time gambler torn between personal ideals and the brutal logic of his circumstances. Character-driven, culturally embedded, and backed by a soundtrack featuring folk artists Aditya Gadhvi, Jigardan Gadhavi, and Geeta Rabari, the show arrives with considerable pedigree.
For Shemaroo, the deal fits neatly into a digital growth playbook built on sustainable expansion and deeper regional engagement. The Gujarati diaspora is large, dispersed, and underserved by mainstream streaming giants. If the company can deliver the goods, the OHO library may prove to be the most valuable land-grab in regional OTT this year.
