iWorld
Prime Video lifts the veil on Daldal at Iffi showcase
GOA: Prime Video set the stage for its upcoming Hindi original Daldal with an exclusive first look at the 56th International Film Festival of India, drawing audiences into a brooding crime world where Mumbai’s newest DCP Rita Ferreira hunts a cold-blooded killer while wrestling with her own buried wounds.
Adapted from Vish Dhamija’s bestselling novel Bhendi Bazaar, the psychological thriller is produced by Vikram Malhotra and Suresh Triveni for Abundantia Entertainment. Triveni has created the series and co written it with Sreekanth Agneeaswaran, Rohan D’Souza and Priya Saggi, while Amrit Raj Gupta directs. Bhumi Satish Pednekkar, Aditya Rawal and Samara Tijori lead the cast. The series will stream soon on Prime Video in India and more than 240 countries and territories.
After a closed door teaser reveal, a fireside chat titled Beyond the Stereotype explored how Daldal builds a fresh blueprint for powerful female characters. The panel featured Pednekkar, Triveni and the creative team alongside Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India.
Madhok said the platform’s push for female centred storytelling is a considered shift from decades of screen narratives shaped by the male gaze. He highlighted a wide slate ranging from Daldal to Dahaad and Made in Heaven, all driven by women with agency, complexity and emotional truth.
Pednekkar described the intensity of playing Rita Ferreira, a character who reveals more through silence than speech. She said the role demanded a physical language of guilt, rage and restraint, calling it one of the most demanding and rewarding performances of her career.
Malhotra said Abundantia has long championed nuanced portrayals of women through titles like Sherni, Jalsa and Hush Hush. He added that Daldal avoids boxing characters into good or bad, choosing instead to tell human stories with balance and honesty.
Triveni stressed that Daldal is not a simple whodunnit but an exploration of what drives people to the choices they make, while Gupta said the team worked to keep performances understated to let the audience sit with the characters’ contradictions.
Daldal will premiere exclusively on Prime Video soon, promising a crime drama that is as much about the shadows within as the dangers outside.
iWorld
JioHotstar enters micro-drama space with 100 shows under Tadka banner
Short-form push targets 300M users as content meets commerce in new format
MUMBAI: JioStar has made a bold play in India’s fast-growing micro-drama space, rolling out over 100 short-form shows under its new Tadka banner on JioHotstar, timed with the massive viewership surge of the Indian Premier League 2026.
The scale of the launch signals clear intent. Rather than testing the waters, the company has dived in headfirst, releasing a wide slate of content on day one. Each show is designed for quick consumption, with episodes running 60 to 90 seconds in a vertical format tailored for mobile-first audiences.
The move comes as India’s micro-drama market, currently valued at around $300 million, is projected to grow tenfold to over $3 billion by 2030. Globally, the format has already proven its mettle, with China’s micro-drama sector recording explosive growth in recent years.
What sets this rollout apart is its built-in monetisation strategy. The shows are free to watch and ad-supported, with brand integrations woven directly into storylines from the outset. It reflects a broader shift where content and commerce are increasingly intertwined, rather than operating in silos.
The timing is equally strategic. With more than 300 million users already tuning in for IPL action, JioHotstar is effectively turning cricket’s biggest stage into a discovery engine for its new format.
The company is not entering an empty arena. Early movers like Kuku TV, MX Player and platforms backed by Zee Entertainment Enterprises have already laid the groundwork, building audiences and validating demand for snackable storytelling.
Now, with scale, distribution and advertiser interest aligning, the big players are stepping in. For JioStar, Tadka may well serve as a proving ground for the next evolution of digital entertainment, where every minute counts and every second sells.
If the bet pays off, India’s next big content wave might just arrive in under 90 seconds.
