iWorld
Hotstar to thrill viewers with ‘Shockers’
MUMBAI: If you are stuck at office or wondering what to do this weekend when it’s raining cats and dogs, fret not ‘cause Indiantelevision.com has got you covered with some exciting news to make your nights crazy. Director Faruk Kabir, who made his debut with Allah Ke Bandey (2010) has made a comeback into direction with web fiction show Shockers, which depicts six horror stories based on the life of six different individuals. “The web is an exciting space for me and is free of censorship and branding,” says Kabir.
Targeting 15-40 demography, the show is available for free on Hotstar to give the viewers an adrenaline rush. From a supernatural love story to a philanderer’s gory end, midnight food deliveries to selfies, these stories are not for the weak hearted.
It features six actors: Dia Mirza, Kalki Koechlin, Rajat Barmecha, Amit Sadh, Prateik Babbar and Amyra Dastur.
We have several players in the digital eco-system like Viacom18’s Voot, Sony Pictures Networks’ Sony Liv, Star India’s Hotstar, Balaji Telefilm’s soon to roll-out digital platform Alt Digital Media, Netflix, etc producing original content. But Hotstar original is probably the only one to have taken a plunge into the horror genre.
“India is emerging as a digital consumer. Hotstar is a huge platform with 70+ mn users. Shockers couldn’t get a better platform than this. It did not interfere into anything and that is how a channel should ideally do. The producer and channel need a common match of belief in each other,” he further adds.
Kabir is of the opinion that so far the players have played it safe by exploring only two genres namely comedy and rom-coms. “The kind of horror we have seen in our TV industry is not what it has to be. There is potential to explore new concepts in this category. Indian film industry, too, has had a very low focus on this genre. So I took it as a challenge to serve the large audiences with my series,” voices the director.
All the six stories have been explored in the least convoluting manner and follow a simple writing style. Spanning between 10 to 15 minutes, each episode has been shot in different locations using different cameras within just 24 hours of prior planning. The storyline demanded each episode to filmed in different cameras, the directed explains. The captivating music has been given by Ishq Bector while the VFX is done by Doodleart Productions.
Talking about getting A-list actors on board for the web-series, Kabir strongly believes that the actors need to be fearless and should like to experiment. “The actors were kind to act and understood the reason behind coming together for Shockers. All of them were interested in doing this and we all had fun shooting this series,” he adds.
The director is already geared up for Shockers season 2 and In the Closet, which will hit on the taboos that exist in our society. He is also working on Stalkers showing true to life incidents. Kabir hasn’t locked in the distribution platform for it yet.
Gaming
Sony raises PS5 prices for second time in under a year
US disc edition jumps $100 to $649.99 as memory costs surge.
MUMBAI: Sony just hit the pause button on affordable gaming because when memory prices skyrocket, even the Playstation has to pay the premium. Sony has announced its second price increase for the Playstation 5 range in less than a year, citing pressures in the global economic landscape and a sharp rise in memory component costs driven by AI demand.
In the US, the PS5 disc edition will rise from $549.99 to $649.99, a $100 hike while the digital edition increases to $599.99. The more powerful PS5 Pro will jump $150 to $899.99. The Playstation Portal remote player will also rise by $50 to $249.99. The new prices take effect on 2 April 2026.
Similar increases have been applied in the UK (£90 per model), Europe and Japan. Sony last raised PS5 prices in the US in August 2025.
“We know that price changes impact our community, and after careful evaluation, we found this was a necessary step to ensure we can continue delivering innovative, high-quality gaming experiences to players worldwide,” Sony said in a blog post.
The hikes come amid an unprecedented surge in memory prices, as manufacturers prioritise supply for AI data centres. Analysts say Sony had likely secured price protections for components that have now expired, forcing the company to protect its hardware margins.
Ampere Analysis research director of games Piers Harding-Rolls told CNBC that further increases from Microsoft and Nintendo would not be surprising, though Nintendo may hesitate to raise the price of its recently launched Switch 2 while establishing the new platform.
The increases arrive eight months before the highly anticipated release of GTA 6, which is expected to drive strong console sales. However, early reactions online have been a mix of disappointment and resignation, with growing concern that premium gaming is increasingly becoming a hobby for higher-income players.
In a sector already grappling with tariffs, inflation and component shortages, Sony’s move underscores a tough reality: even the most popular consoles are not immune to the rising cost of keeping up with the latest technology.
