iWorld
Old is gold but new is bold as storytellers strike a nostalgia-novelty mix
MUMBAI: If nostalgia is the comfort food of entertainment, India’s storytellers are now serving it with a spicy drizzle of novelty and audiences are lapping it up. That was the clear message from the Vidnet Summit 2025 panel titled “Old is Gold, But the New is Bold – Let’s Unfold Big Ideas,” where creators argued that the future of storytelling lies not in choosing between the old and the new, but in mixing them with flair.
Moderated by Stutee Ghosh, film critic and RJ at Fever 104 FM, the session brought together Saugata Mukherjee (content head, SonyLiv), filmmaker Aditya Sarpotdar, legendary adman Prahlad Kakkar and actor Anya Singh. Between banter, brutal honesty and bursts of classic movie references, the panellists dissected what drives today’s audiences and what keeps creators awake at night.
Ghosh kicked things off with praise-laced humour, calling Mukherjee “Ad-Man, Mad-Man”, a nod to his legacy of memorable ad films and platform-defining originals like Scam, Rocket Boys and Hunt. Mukherjee took the cue to make a larger point, “Are you discovering something? Are you looking at something new? Are you entering a world you slightly know but don’t know enough? That’s what streaming must do.” For him, originality isn’t optional, it is the oxygen of OTT.
From SonyLIV’s perspective, he said, audiences gravitate to worlds that feel familiar but fresh. “You give them something unique, something new, something to discover,” he said, citing how Scam, Rocket Boys and Hunt each pulled viewers into new universes anchored in Indian realities.
Filmmaker Aditya Sarpotdar expanded the thought with a paradox creators everywhere grapple with: “I am living through a creative paradox nostalgia and novelty must coexist.” Audiences want emotions, traditions and worlds they recognise, he argued, but told in a way that feels modern, international and visually inventive.
“You have to take them to something they know, but show it to them in a way they’ve never seen.”
He pointed to the response to films like Chhava and Gadar Raj, where audiences flocked to theatres not just for spectacle but for the emotional familiarity wrapped in contemporary storytelling.
Kakkar, never one to mince words, delivered his trademark candour, “The story is the heart of any project. You don’t need big cameras. If the filmmaker is a good storyteller, it doesn’t matter who you cast, if the story doesn’t connect, nothing will work.”
For him, technology is merely the new paintbrush, cheap, accessible and more powerful than ever but utterly useless without soul. “You can make a film on your phone today. The magic lies in narration. Special effects work only when you don’t notice them.”
He repeated his now-iconic line, eliciting laughter across the hall:
“There is no attention deficit, only content deficit. Kids today switch off because they can.” If a story isn’t gripping, he said, algorithms and audiences will send it “straight into a black hole”.
Actor Anya Singh, fresh off the success of The Bads of Bollywood, described the unpredictable nature of audience reception. “You hope for success, but you never know. I knew the show would be watched; I didn’t know every character would be loved this much.” She credited showrunner Aryan for “catching the nerve of every character”, leading to scenes like the viral Imran Hashmi–Raghav Juyal moment travelling far beyond the series. Success, she said, only reinforces instinct: “I don’t know how to be calculative. I’m instinctive and passionate.”
Ghosh steered the discussion toward an unavoidable reality: algorithms now influence what people consume, often more than marketing does. As she put it: “We’re in a landscape where the algorithm decides our viewing diet.”
Mukherjee countered that authenticity still wins over any machine. Shows like Maharani, Undekhi and Tabbar, he noted, worked because SonyLIV stayed committed to a clear content philosophy. “We will take the bets others don’t. The audience is very smart. Authenticity breaks through.”
Sarpotdar argued that audiences today also intuitively recognise which story belongs on which medium. “Every story has its own life. Some are meant for intimate OTT viewing; some demand collective theatrical energy.” Trailers, posters and first looks, he said, now instantly tell audiences whether a film deserves a cinema ticket or a couch.
Kakkar, meanwhile, returned to his favourite equation: “Two plus two is not four. In filmmaking, two plus two is twenty-two.” Logic, he insisted, cannot guide creativity. Passion must glue creators, platforms and financiers together; otherwise projects fall apart. “Passion is illogical. And that’s why it works.”
As the session wrapped, the panel collectively agreed on one thing: India today is witnessing the most exciting phase of storytelling in decades. The audience is informed, exposed and utterly unwilling to tolerate mediocrity. They seek worlds that move them, stories that surprise them, and characters that feel both iconic and intimate.
And in this era of platforms, algorithms and limitless choice, the new rulebook is simple old is gold, new is bold, and the real magic lies in blending both with fearless imagination.
iWorld
Prime Video unveils biggest India originals slate yet
Nearly 55 titles across languages signal deeper push into films, series
MUMBAI: Prime Video is turning up the volume on Indian storytelling, unveiling its largest-ever Originals slate at the ‘Prime Video Presents’ showcase, with close to 55 series and films spanning languages, genres and formats.
The new lineup, which stretches across Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, signals a clear intent: go bigger, go wider, and meet audiences wherever they are watching, whether on streaming screens or in cinemas. Alongside Originals, the platform also announced a fresh theatrical slate under Amazon MGM Studios, marking a deeper step into the big-screen business.
Among the headline acts is The Revolutionaries, a large-scale drama from Nikkhil Advani starring Bhuvan Bam and Rohit Saraf. The slate also features Matka King with Vijay Varma, Raakh starring Ali Fazal and Sonali Bendre, and Lukkhe, which marks rapper King’s acting debut. Adding a genre twist is Vansh – The Kalyug Warriors, positioned as India’s first homegrown Hindi superhero series for streaming.
Familiar favourites are also making a return, with new seasons of Farzi, Panchayat, Call Me Bae, Dupahiya, Dahaad and The Traitors in the pipeline, reinforcing the platform’s bet on established franchises.
Regional storytelling gets a notable push. Highlights include a Telugu adaptation of The Traitors hosted by Teja Sajja, the drama Guvvala Cheruvu Ghat, and Tamil titles such as Exam and returning seasons of Vadhandhi and Inspector Rishi.
The slate also opens new creative partnerships. Hrithik Roshan’s HRX Films steps into streaming with Storm and Mess, while Alia Bhatt’s Eternal Sunshine Productions backs Don’t Be Shy. Production houses including Excel Entertainment, Tiger Baby Films and The Viral Fever further deepen the creative bench.
On the theatrical front, the platform is lining up five films, including Raftaar starring Rajkummar Rao and Keerthy Suresh, VIBE directed by Kunal Kemmu, Dilkashi with music by A. R. Rahman, Nayyi Navelli featuring Yami Gautam, and Kuku Ki Kundli starring Wamiqa Gabbi.
According to Prime Video India director and head of Svod business Shilangi Mukherji, India remains central to the platform’s global growth, ranking among its top markets for new subscribers. She noted that nearly two-thirds of users watch content in more than four languages, underlining a growing appetite for diverse storytelling.
Prime Video India director and head of originals Nikhil Madhok, said the new slate reflects a continued push towards bold, culturally rooted narratives with global appeal.
In short, Prime Video is not just adding titles, it is widening the lens. From small-town dramas to superhero sagas and cinema-ready spectacles, the message is simple: more stories, more voices, and far more ways to watch them.
