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hoichoi presents “First Day First Show”, a new property to stream Bengali feature films; SVF produced ‘Detective’ will mark its first Direct-to-Digital release
It is official! Anirban Bhattacharya starrer “Detective” will be heading for a Direct-to-Digital release on hoichoi. hoichoi announced a new property a day before, “First Day First Show” which will helm the direct releases of Bengali movies. It was originally slated for a theatrical release but owing to the current restrictions mandated by the government for audiences to maintain a decorum of social distancing, and movie theatres abiding the same by keeping the doors of their single screens and multiplexes closed, SVF, Eastern India’s largest entertainment house, have consciously decided to take a digital route. It is in fact, also, the first direct OTT release for SVF, their first film to be released in an OTT platform this year. hoichoi announced the grand news by doing a Multiple Poster (5 posters of each lead character) Reveal in the morning followed by the Official Trailer.
Directed by Joydeep Mukherjee, Detective, is based on Rabindranath Tagore’s story and the character of the “Detective” is being essayed by versatile Anirban Bhattacharya, who in the past year has impressed the audience with his choice of roles and their portrayal on screen.
Mahendra Soni, Co-Founder and Director, SVF said, “We are excited that the film is getting a digital release and becomes the first Bengali feature to get a World Premiere on hoichoi. Although, we had planned to have a big theatrical release, the sudden pandemic compelled us to take the digital route. This decision is motivated purely by choice and hoichoi became the go-to OTT platform – as it is known for its variety of content along with being the paramount OTT platform in the Bengali community.”
Vishnu Mohta, Co-Founder of hoichoi added, ”hoichoi has started many revolutionary properties which changed the face of Bengali Cinema starting with the World Digital Premiere of blockbusters and other films. This time, it’s “hoichoi Presents First Day First Show” where we are happy to exclusively premiere one of the most anticipated films of the year starring the famous Anirban Bhattacharya. We are always looking out to embrace good content and Detective, as a film, will bring all our audiences, globally, to step up and celebrate the film along with the celebration of our Independence.”
Slated to release on 14th August only on hoichoi, Detective stars Anirban as Mahimchandra, a police-detective, who aspires to earn fame in his profession. He craves for some complex case to come his way so that he can prove his worth. Mahimchandra’s first love is his detective books (primarily, Sherlock Holmes whom he admires) and second, is his wife Shudhamukhi portrayed by Ishaa Saha. Obsessed with finding a complicated case, Mahimchandra encounters<span data-contrast="auto" class="TextRun SCXW252297204 BCX0" lang="EN-US" style="margin: 0px; user-select: text; font-variant-ligatures: none !important; font-weight: bold; font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri Light", "Calibri Light_EmbeddedFont", "Calibri Light_MSFontService", sans-serif; font-kerning:
iWorld
Rusk Media announces Battleground Season 2 on Amazon MX Player
Fitness reality show returns in April 2026 with bigger challenges and mentors.
MUMBAI: The arena is reopening and this time the competition promises even more sweat, strategy and spectacle. Rusk Media has confirmed the return of its fitness reality format Battleground for a second season, set to stream on Amazon MX Player from April 2026. The announcement follows the breakout success of the show’s debut season, which positioned itself as a high energy blend of sport, strategy and reality television. Season 1 brought together 16 contestants for a 28 day test of endurance and discipline, as aspiring athletes and fitness enthusiasts competed in physically demanding challenges and team based battles.
Divided into four teams, the participants trained under a panel of mentors drawn from the fitness and lifestyle space, with former Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan serving as the show’s Super Mentor.
The format quickly found an audience among digital viewers and was listed among the most binged titles on Amazon MX Player. The show also picked up industry recognition, winning the “Most Popular Non Fiction Show” honour at the IWMBuzz Digital Awards 2025.
The first season also drew a slate of brand partnerships, including Honda Bigwing, Charged, American Pistachio Growers, Bigmuscles Nutrition, Ritebite Max Protein, Plix and Sparsh CCTV, highlighting the show’s appeal to brands targeting India’s rapidly growing youth and fitness audience.
For Season 2, the producers say the format will evolve with tougher physical challenges, a sharper competitive structure and deeper mentor involvement while continuing to focus on discovering the next generation of Indian fitness personalities.
Rusk Media, chief executive officer and co founder Mayank Yadav said the first season proved the appetite for competitive fitness storytelling. “Battleground was always envisioned as more than a show. Season 1 demonstrated that there is a massive audience for aspirational fitness competition at scale. With Season 2 we are going even bigger in ambition, intensity and opportunities for contestants and partners,” he said.
Rusk Ads lead Rahul Arora added that the series has also evolved into a strong platform for brand integration and advertiser engagement. “Season 1 showed that Battleground is not just compelling content but a powerful brand ecosystem. As we move into Season 2, we are looking to deepen brand collaborations and build more integrated partnerships,” he said.
With a larger format, an expanding fan base and a new season set to arrive in April 2026, Battleground is positioning itself as one of India’s emerging fitness reality franchises in the digital entertainment space.
