iWorld
Plan B takes centre stage as Chaniya Toli plots Its OTT heist
MUMBAI: Some plans whisper their way in. Others march straight up, smirk, and dare you to keep up. Chaniya Toli firmly belongs to the second kind. After a successful theatrical run that saw it emerge as the second highest-grossing Gujarati film of 2025, the film has now made its digital debut on Shemaroome, extending its offbeat charm to home screens and reaffirming the streamer’s appetite for stories that refuse to colour inside the lines.
Led by Yash Soni alongside Netri Trivedi, Chetan Dahiya, Heena Varde, Maulik Nayak, Sohni Bhatt, Kalpana Gagdekar and Jay Bhatt, Chaniya Toli starts as a personal search for purpose and swiftly snowballs into something far more audacious. At its heart is an outrageous scheme designed to outwit those responsible for pushing a village into financial despair. The real twist, however, lies in who drives the plan forward.
As the plot thickens, it is the women of the village who step into the spotlight, dismantling expectations and emerging as the backbone of the operation. What unfolds is less a conventional heist and more a playful act of rebellion, where community spirit and collective courage do the heavy lifting. Or, as the film cheekily suggests, sometimes the best plans are the ones nobody sees coming.
Speaking about the film’s digital premiere, Soni said the story’s unpredictability was its biggest draw, noting how the narrative constantly nudges the audience into doubting the plan, only to make it work in the most entertaining ways. The strong theatrical response, he added, made the OTT release a natural next step.
With its blend of humour, tension and social commentary, Chaniya Toli positions itself as more than just a caper. It is a celebration of everyday people daring to challenge their fate, with women leading from the front and logic gleefully put on trial.
Now streaming on Shemaroome, the film invites viewers into a world where intentions blur, plans spiral, and one improbably clever idea keeps everyone guessing right till the end.
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.
