iWorld
Prime time for India as Amazon’s streamer doubles down on desi drama
MUMBAI: At a lively fireside chat during AVIA’s Future of Video India conference, part of the first-ever WAVES summit, Kelly Day, head of international & VP, Prime Video, and Gaurav Gandhi, VP for Asia Pacific & MENA, lifted the curtain on Amazon’s streaming strategy with India in a starring role.
Kelly Day waxed lyrical about the enduring allure of the big screen, declaring, “We believe in the theatrical window,” and reaffirming Prime Video’s intent to back the box office while keeping its streaming chops strong. The aim? Around 14–15 global theatrical releases a year, because nothing beats the magic of popcorn-fuelled premieres unless you can also watch it at home in your PJs.
But beyond the cinema, it’s the everything hub approach that’s taking centre stage. “We want to be the first place people think of when they want to watch something,” said Day, noting that with over 200 million Prime members worldwide, Prime Video is less about being everything to everyone and more about helping everyone find exactly what they want.
For India, that means layering choice upon choice. Gaurav Gandhi detailed how the country has become Prime’s petri dish for innovation TVOD (Transactional Video on Demand) is booming with 7000 plus titles, and 60 per cent get rented every month across 95 per cent of India’s pin codes. The subcontinent is also home to 25 plus channel partners, making it second only to Japan in Prime’s global “channels” play.
“India is a super important locale,” Gandhi noted, adding that it’s not just a growth engine for Prime sign-ups but also a massive content factory, with one of the largest original slates outside the US. Even more impressive? One in four views of Indian content comes from overseas, proving that regional stories are finding global legs.
And when it comes to customisation, India’s Prime menu is a buffet: from Prime Lite to full-fat Prime, mobile-only editions to programming in 10 Indian languages, the streamer’s playbook here is all about slicing and dicing its offerings to match the country’s many moods. “We’re learning from India and taking that learning global,” Gandhi quipped.
So while other platforms try to decode the Indian market, Prime Video seems to have cracked the subtitles and is quietly exporting the script.
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.
