iWorld
Planet Marathi OTT unveils new content slate on achieving 500 per cent subscriber growth globally
Mumbai: Vistas Media Capital’s Planet Marathi OTT, home to record-breaking original content, is ready to step up its robust performance as it completes its one-year run.
The platform has seen a phenomenal spike of 500 per cent in its subscriber base, which spans globally across the UK, US, New Zealand, the continent of Africa and other countries. The first platform of its kind, it hosts web series, films, talk shows, music, reality shows, and other forms of entertainment in Marathi.
Since its inception in August 2021, the platform has seen a whopping 550K+ instals and 24+ million video plays. Various marquee and big league players, including Tata Play and Jio Ads, have collaborated with Planet Marathi OTT on various levels to capitalise on the robust, superlative library being the only exclusively Marathi OTT player. To increase its own reach and cater to a wider audience, the OTT platform has entered into partnerships and will be collaborating with telecom providers.
Emerging as a name to reckon with in the Marathi entertainment industry, Planet Marathi OTT has established itself as an innovative player given its fresh, experimental, and original approach to the web space. The upcoming impressive slate of titles includes Mrinal Kulkarni’s directorial venture “Sahela Re” starring her, Sumeet Raghavan, and Subodh Bhave; RaanBaazaar director Abhijit Panse’s next political outing Raaji-Naama; new age romantic drama, “Eka Hatacha Antar.” Other names in the content line-up include “Athang,” Soppa Nasta Kahi Season 2, Gemaadpanthi, Compass, Aamcha Aahe, Baby On Board, Chikatgunde Season 2 and Crypto Aajji.
Speaking about this record breaking milestone, Planet Marathi OTT founder Akshay Bardapurkar commented, “We have been fierce in our vertical and horizontal expansion and as we complete one year, the entire Planet Marathi OTT team is able to look back with pride and satisfaction on the kind of achievements we have had. However, we are far from done. We are excited to announce a large slate of OTT content which will further blur boundaries and catapult us to compete with big league content players. The goal gets bigger every year and we are just beginning to make a mark.”
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.
