iWorld
Promax India’s Digital Reinvent 2021 to be held on 8 Oct
Mumbai: Promax India has announced the second Digital Reinvent show – ‘OTT and Digital Marketing Innovation Conference and Awards’ for 2021. The event will be held virtually on 8 October.
The speakers for the event will include leaders, content and business heads from MX Player, SonyLIV, Discovery+, VOOT, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, hoichoi, Eros Now among others.
“The OTT platforms have triggered perhaps the greatest transformation in the Indian media industry. The 500 million-plus smartphone penetration across urban and rural landscapes along with the rapidly growing broadband access will continue to boost OTT growth, thereby attracting billions of dollars of investments from both Indian and global media giants,” said Zee Entertainment Enterprises, chief operating officer – revenue, Rajiv Bakshi. “While the initial phase of this OTT revolution focused on differentiated and massive content creation and customer acquisition; the upcoming phase will strengthen the monetisation models for the entire ecosystem. I am a firm believer of collaboration-for-growth and therefore have chaired and co-created the industry’s foremost OTT conference for incisive discussions with content, tech, and business leaders.”
“These are exciting times – with the rise in demand for new content and investments in technology, it is the best time for the OTT platforms to shine,” said Promax Asia Pte Ltd, country head and strategic partnerships (India, Hong Kong, and the Philippines), Rajika Mittra. “We are privileged to host one of the most spectacular virtual conferences and awards bringing together the best minds in the business of OTT and storytelling. At Promax, our endeavour is to create and build a highly engaging community that believes in collaborative partnerships, growth, and new opportunities.”
The awards aim to support and recognise quality digital entertainment in India. These celebrate and honour outstanding achievements in talent, promotion, marketing, and design. Building on the overwhelming response to the first edition of the awards in 2020, this year there are 39 categories in Gold and Silver.
The event is supported by ‘platinum’ sponsor MX Player, ‘powered by’ sponsor SonyLIV, ‘gold’ sponsor Discovery+ and VOOT, ‘official music’ sponsor BMG Production Music.
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.
