iWorld
Hotstar to air Barun Sobti’s ‘Tanhaiyaan’ in Jan
MUMBAI: Actor Barun Sobti is all set to make a comeback, but this time in a web series. Star India’s video-on-demand (VOD) service is all geared up to air a fiction web series, titled Tanhaiyan. The 10 episodic show with a duration of 20 minutes each will launch in the mid-week of January 2017.
The show is produced by Gul Khan and Karishma Jain of Unit 7 Network for 4 Lions Films, the web series is directed by Gorky M.
In the show, Sobti plays the role of Haider, while the other lead Surbhi Jyoti will be seen playing the role of Meera Kapoor. Kapoor is in love with Haider, who is seen flirting with girls.
Khan said, “Someone once asked me what’s the why of Tanhayian.. Well there isn’t a person who hasn’t experienced the loss of a loved one.. And every time we lose someone it changes who we are….So here are two people who are dealing with that loss in their own different way.. But sometimes someone walks right into that loneliness and Phir aap tanhayion mein bhi Tanha nahi rehte… Tanhaiyaan is a tribute to that magic…”
Hotstar entered into the original content production with a talk show hosted by RJ Malishka called M Bole Toh. It also aired a 20 episodic news comedy series On Air with AIB with 10 in English and 10 in Hindi. The streaming platform is also rumoured to bring the second season of the show soon.
It had also brought back its popular TV fiction show Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon as a Hotstar Original after a gap of three years.
Being a first mover in the space, it today boasts about 75 million downloads from the mobile nation India – far far ahead of the 30 odd OTT platforms which have popped up. Hotstar offers a smorgasbord of programs: right from India’s favorite sport cricket to 650 shows from its 23 channels, 36 English TV shows, 70 Hollywood movies, and oodles of Hindi cinema as well. The 85,000 hours of content it can stream is available in eight Indian languages.
Primarily a free and advertising-dependent service, the Star Network has poured in an estimated $60-70 million to bring it to the place it has so far.
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.
