iWorld
Samay Raina’s India’s Got Latent OTT races up the download charts
MUMBAI: Some people know him for popularising chess to the masses, Others know him as one of the most popular comedians in India but Samay Raina is now also an entertainment-preneur – making a business out of his entertainment.
Six months ago, Samay created a show on YouTube called India’s Got Latent. The show allows people to showcase their talent or skill in front of a panel of judges curated by Samay Raina. Not another talent show? Hasn’t viewer fatigue set in?
But, wait, India’s Got Latent is not just another talent show. For one, it’s totally irreverent as far as its contestants, judges and special guests are concerned. Then it’s ticketed and the live audience pays Rs 2,000 to just get in. Other talent shows decide the winner based on who gets the highest score. But not on Samay’s India’s Got Latent. Contestants/participants score themselves individually before they strut their stuff on stage. Then it’s the turn of the judges. If the contestant’s scores matches with the score given by the jury he or she is the winner. and goes home with a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, which is given by the sponsor of the episode.
The show combines humour (it’s very north Indian and we’d say GenZ, full of free flowing cuss words and double entendres) with a talent showcase giving an opportunity to common-as-garden individuals to present their talents.
This unique show became viral like no other IP on YouTube, and it has been attracting subscribers like flies to a honeypot. The number has reached 6.7 million subscribers at the time of writing.Each episode is doing an average of 25 million with the recent ones clocking 30 plus million views.
So strong is the pull, that Samay has dared to make bonus episodes available on membership (a monthly subscription to its YouTube channel). Estimates are that he has close to 500,000 paid subscribers coughing up Rs 60 each a month which gets him about Rs 2 crore a month, deducting YouTube fees.
India’s got Latent has become so popular not only on YouTube free and membership that it has encouraged Samay Raina to create a streaming app. Yes, a streaming app, and he announced on his Instagram handle that it’s there for downloading.
He also said he’s got more – many more IPs in production – a poetry show and a rap competition which will be available on a monthly subscription of Rs 59. There will be some other services available including tickets to his shows in the app. At the time of writing, India’s Got Latent had reached amongst the top 50 downloaded apps in the country on the Google Playstore and at No 1 on the Appstore. That too within a day of its introduction on the two stores.
Not just that. Samay has a north American tour Samay Raina Unfiltered planned between February and March first week with 10 shows each planned for Canada and the US. Tickets for these are already on sale online and they are selling out fast.
Clearly, this is one social media sensation who is taking advantage of the right samay (time) and cashing it in.
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.
