iWorld
MX Player licenses its original series Queen to Zeel
MUMBAI: Extending its brand philosophy of Everytainment to all screens, MX Player, India’s leading streaming platform, has signed an exclusive deal with ZEEL, bringing one of their most loved MX Original Series ‘Queen’ to prime time television. The 11-episodic drama is now available across 3 languages – Hindi (Zee TV), Telugu (Zee Telugu) and Tamil (Zee Tamil).
Over the years, OTT has served as a platform for Catch Up TV content but with this deal, a new dimension has been created, with a leading regional web series airing on primetime Indian television. Queen was launched on Zee Telugu on 18th May, Mon-Fri 20:00-20:30 and is airing in Hindi on Zee TV every Saturday and Sunday night 22:30-23:30.
Elaborating on the same, MX Player content acquisition and syndication head Mansi Shrivastav said, “We believe in great stories, that appeal to viewers across geographies, languages and age groups. Viewers across the board are hungry for compelling content. We are always looking to push the boundaries to get our content to new audiences; we’re both delighted and excited to have partnered with Zee to bring Queen to massive television audiences. The success that Queen has met, with its opening on Zee Telugu only proves that great stories also cut across mediums be it OTT or linear television. MX has a robust pipeline of originals and we are looking forward to bringing more such stories that travel beyond the OTT universe & into the broadcast world via such linear partnerships, in India and across the world.
Zee TV business head Aparna Bhosle concluded saying, “In our endeavor of keeping audiences engaged with original content during lockdown, we are happy to introduce the finite series – ‘Queen’ as it beautifully chronicles the extraordinary journey of an ordinary girl whose determined vision and resilience helped her bounce back from life's various curveballs and emerge as not just a state topper, a film actress but make an indelible mark in the patriarchal world of politics. It is a tale worth telling in the current context as it holds the potential to inspire millions."
Directed by the National Award winner Gautham Vasudev Menon and Prasath Murugesan, Queen brings to life the story of Shakthi Sheshadri. Reluctant actress, reluctant politician and a non-conformist until the very end – She was destiny’s child who rose from the ashes like a phoenix to rule the state as its youngest female chief minister. Inspired by true events, the series is headlined by Ramya Krishnan who portrays the role of Shakthi. Additionally, it also stars Anikha Surendran, Anjana Jayaprakash and Indrajith Sukumaran in key roles amongst others.
iWorld
Subedaar puts Indian original cinema on the global map with record-breaking Prime Video debut
MUMBAI: Prime Video has a runaway hit on its hands. Subedaar, the gritty action drama starring Anil Kapoor, has stormed to become the most-watched Indian original movie on the platform in its opening weekend, cracking the Top 10 across 31 countries and landing in 91 per cent of India’s pin codes within days of its March 5 premiere.
The film, a visceral, emotionally-charged story of a retired soldier, Subedaar Arjun Maurya, wrestling with civilian life amid crime and corruption, has struck a nerve. Directed by Suresh Triveni and co-starring Radhikka Madan, Mona Singh, Saurabh Shukla, Aditya Rawal, Faisal Malik, and Khushboo Sundar, the film is already being hailed as a showcase for what Indian original storytelling can achieve on the world stage.
“Subedaar’s success is a reflection of the growing scale and global resonance of Indian storytelling,” said Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India. “The film’s emotional narrative, its rooted portrayal of a soldier confronting his toughest battles beyond the battlefield, has struck a chord. Anil Kapoor delivers an acting masterclass, while Suresh Triveni’s solid direction and great performances from the ensemble cast have resulted in love and appreciation from customers across the world.”
Kapoor, 62, has been here before, but rarely at this altitude. Written by Triveni and Prajwal Chandrashekar, with dialogues by Triveni, Saurabh Dwivedi, and Chandrashekar, the film is a production by Opening Image Films in association with Anil Kapoor Film & Communication Network (AKFCN), produced by Vikram Malhotra, Kapoor, and Triveni.
Subedaar streams exclusively on Prime Video in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu across India, and in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.
For Prime Video, the numbers tell the real story: one weekend, one film, a global footprint, and a very loud signal that Indian original cinema is no longer just travelling well. It’s arriving.
