iWorld
MX Player’s ‘Ek Badnaam…Aashram 3’ fastest growing show on Indian OTT; gets 100 mn views
Mumbai: MX Original series Ek Badnaam… Aashram 3, produced and directed by industry stalwart Prakash Jha, has been breaking records since its release. The series has been a huge success. The first two seasons of the show were hugely popular among viewers, which made it probably the most-watched television show on Indian OTT. However, the recent third season, Ek Badnaam…Aashram 3, has been equally successful in entering the 100 million viewership club within just 32 hours of its release, becoming the fastest-growing show on Indian OTT so far.
With each passing season, the series appears to be setting new standards. Aashram’s first two seasons had a total viewership of around 160 million unique users. In addition, within six hours of the season three trailer’s release, the show was trending at number one on YouTube in India. Season three has received unprecedented love and appreciation from audiences. Since its release on 3 June 2022, the plot and characters have been the talk of the town.
The series features an ensemble cast comprising Bobby Deol, Aaditi Pohankar, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Darshan Kumaar, Anupriya Goenka, Esha Gupta, Sachin Shroff, Adhyayan Suman, Tridha Choudhury, Vikram Kochhar, Anuritta K Jha, Rushad Rana, Tanmaay Ranjan, Preeti Sood, Rajeev Siddhartha and Jaya Seal Ghosh.
Aashram is a show that highlights the life of a megalomaniac Baba Nirala. In this season, Kashipur Waale Baba Nirala has become fearless and his lust for power has been accentuated, making him unstoppable. He believes to be above all and thinks he’s God. The power of aashram is at its peak. This badnaam aashram continues to exploit women, and indulge in drugs and illegal activities to gain power and position in society. On the other hand, Pammi is having sleepless nights to seek revenge from Bhagwaan Nirala.
Speaking of the success, MX Media chief content officer Gautam Talwar said, “At MX Player, our aim is to always offer path-breaking narratives. We encourage storytellers to showcase authentic stories that build strong resonance with our audiences, strengthening our promise of entertaining and keeping viewers engaged. ‘Ek Badnaam…Aashram 3‘, as a series, has scaled up our viewership and is testimony to that. Season two had 50 million in less than 17 hours and season three crossed 100 million in just 32 hours of the series launch. We will continue creating powerful engaging content and thank our audiences for their unwavering appreciation.”
Producer and director Prakash Jha said, “We are incredibly proud of Aashram and all the seasons that we’ve released so far. The viewers have once again shown their love and we are humbled by their response. The entire cast and crew have worked tirelessly and we’re happy that we’ve had great support from MX Player and look forward to our future associations too. We thank our viewers for their unwavering support.”
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.
