iWorld
From Bahubali to Billion Views India Aims for a Creative Content Super League
MUMBAI: If cricket can become a family blockbuster, why not Indian stories? That was the rallying cry from Sony Pictures Networks India managing director & CEO Gaurav Banerjee at FICCI Frames 2025. Addressing a packed room of media moguls, policymakers, and creators, he asked a question that hit home: What’s stopping India from birthing a content giant, an IPL of entertainment that’s global in scale yet rooted in our own stories?
Banerjee painted a vivid timeline of India’s entertainment inflexion points. First, the early 2000s witnessed Kaun Banega Crorepati, a game show with a Bollywood superstar as its face, a world-first. Then came the 2008 Indian Premier League, which turned cricket into family entertainment and spawned a robust talent pipeline. And more recently, pan-India phenomena like Satyamev Jayate, Anupama, and films like Bahubali showcased the universal appeal of Indian storytelling. But, he pointed out, the last big leap happened nearly a decade ago leaving a glaring creative gap waiting to be filled.
“The challenge,” he said, “is building an ecosystem where creativity meets scale where every year can give rise to a new Lagaan or a Squid Game created right here in India.” Banerjee argued that the key lies in aggregating human capital. Citing Enrico Moretti’s The New Geography of Jobs, he explained that regions flourish when innovation-driven industries cluster talent, research, and enterprise, essentially a Silicon Valley of creativity.
Drawing a parallel with the IPL, Banerjee highlighted how structured scouting, talent pipelines, and consistent investment can create world-class outputs. “Every season in the IPL introduces at least six new cricketers,” he said. “We need a similar mechanism to unearth and nurture storytellers local, authentic, and ready for global stages.”
The proof, he noted, already exists in pockets. The Malayalam film industry has produced films like Loka Chapter 1, which, despite a budget under Rs 30 crore, has raked in over Rs 300 crore at the box office. “This is not a one-off,” Banerjee enthused. “Films like Avesham, 2080, and Manjula Boys have built an ecosystem of excellence. Loka is the latest chapter in this evolution.”
So how can India scale this success? Banerjee outlined three steps. First, building creative institutions and centres of excellence to scout and nurture talent. Second, forging deep collaboration between academic centres and creative firms akin to Stanford and Silicon Valley to create a continuous dialogue between innovation and execution. Third, reforming regulation to be enabling rather than restrictive. “Creativity is human capital at its purest,” he said. “Yet, current labour and regulatory frameworks are anchored in a colonial past. To unleash India’s creative potential, we must reimagine rules and give imagination room to breathe.”
Banerjee stressed that creativity is no longer peripheral. It fuels jobs, innovation, exports India’s identity, and amplifies soft power. “If India wants to write the next chapter of global leadership,” he said, “we must invest in creativity with the same vision and boldness as we do in new technologies.”
Closing with a clarion call, Banerjee urged policymakers, media leaders, and creators to think globally, experiment boldly, and champion a future where India’s creative economy sits at the heart, not the margins, of the nation’s growth story.
From the IPL’s cricketing pitches to the studios of Kochi and Mumbai, India’s content revolution is poised to go prime time and this time, the audience is the world.
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.
