iWorld
Prime Video says India still awaits its own superhero in streaming boom
MUMBAI: Prime Video India is hunting for the country’s first true homegrown superhero. Speaking at the CII Big Picture Summit 2025, Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals, said the streaming market is flush with opportunity but still missing a breakout Indian hero rooted in local culture and mythology.
In a powertalk with Suhani Singh of India Today, Madhok said Prime Video is in the middle of its strongest growth phase yet. Nearly 25 per cent of its viewers over the past year were new to the service, he noted, while the pipeline of shows, films and unscripted series greenlit for the next 12–18 months is the platform’s biggest since launch. More than 100 originals are in development or production.
The creative shift within streaming, he said, is unmistakable. Crime thrillers may have dominated early on, but audiences are now flocking to more layered, emotional and rooted narratives. He pointed to hits such as Panchayat, Gram Chikitsalay and Dupahiya, along with a surge in female-led stories like Khauf. Women lead more than 80 per cent of head-of-department roles across originals, and 60 per cent of writers’ rooms.
Prime Video receives 500–600 pitches a month, but only a few advance. What cuts through, Madhok said, are ideas driven by passion, clarity and conviction: not creators tailoring stories to a perceived brief. First-time showrunners behind Khauf and Dupahiya exemplify the kind of authorship the platform seeks.
He dismissed the notion that star power drives greenlighting. “We’re not looking to cast big names, we’re looking to cast great talent,” he said, citing Mirzapur, whose cast rose to fame after the show and new titles built on fresh faces. Independent films such as Stolen, In Transit and Girls Will Be Girls also underscore the platform’s appetite for distinctive voices.
Prime Video’s franchises continue to grow aggressively. The Family Man season 3 became the streamer’s most watched series of 2025, pulling in three to four times the audience of earlier seasons. More than 60 per cent of its fiction slate has returned or is in development for new seasons, while fresh IPs like Call Me Bae, Dupahiya and Khauf have secured second-season orders. In unscripted shows, such as The Traitors and Two Much with Kajol and Twinkle have surged.
Yet, Madhok believes a major frontier remains untouched. India, he argued, has not yet created an original superhero fit for streaming, one drawn from its own mythology, not a Western import. “Can we create our own homegrown superhero that becomes the next big thing?” he asked. “That’s the beauty, the stories are all there, waiting to be told.”
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.
