iWorld
PVR and Nodwin Gaming bring e-sports to cinemas
Mumbai: PVR Ltd and e-sports company Nodwin Gaming on Monday announced their partnership to launch India’s first in-cinema e-sports live tournament together. The pilot will commence with the popular game “Battlegrounds Mobile India” (BGMI) and going forward it will include games from different genres, said the statement.
This initiative is expected to fast-track e-sports entertainment’s growth trajectory in India by combining the appeal of e-sports gaming with the magic of big-screen experience. The quarter-final, semi-final, and finals of the cups, in each participating city, will be broadcasted in select PVR cinemas, along with live streams on various digital platforms, including Nodwin Facebook page and YouTube page and the PVR mobile app.
“Nodwin Gaming has always emphasised on the importance of reinforcing grassroots development that can be a strong and reliable foundation for esports, and this property is a step in that direction,” said Nodwin Gaming MD & co-founder Akshat Rathee. “City-level penetration of professional esports leads to solid exposure for the grassroots ecosystem and as seen in the past, the more exposed the grassroots is, the better it gets at the higher tiers. This, in turn, paves the way for the collective growth of all tiers of professional players.”
Commenting on the partnership he added, “Our association with PVR cinemas opens a corridor towards mainstreaming esports and placing it right in the middle of the entertainment industry. E-sports as an upcoming medium of interactive entertainment has had its fair share of visibility in the jam-packed arenas but it’s about time that we bring action to the silver screen. Nodwin, along with building grassroots, will also give its audience a premium watching experience with this partnership.”
According to a statement, the partnership introduces larger-than-life experiences for all e-sports fans across the country and will be able to participate in online e-sports cups and in-cinema tournaments with separate prize pools for each city.
“At PVR, we strive to continually evolve as an entertainment destination, offering our customers the opportunity to have an entertaining escape into more than just big films,” stated PVR Ltd joint managing director Sanjeev Kumar Bijli. “Our immersive environment lends itself particularly well to the gaming community, putting players in the universes in which they are competing.”
“Our purpose at PVR is to gather, grow and entertain communities. With us becoming a part of the Indian e-sports eco-system, we have the opportunity to serve our purpose by giving PVR communities another entertaining way to gather on our esports platform. Nodwin team has a relentless passion for gaming, we are delighted to be partnering with them on this initiative,” noted PVR Ltd chief of strategy Kamal Gianchandani.
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.
