iWorld
SonyLIV, Applause Entertainment announce first Tamil original ‘Iru Dhuruvam’
MUMBAI : Startled at the sudden disappearance of his wife Geetha, Viktor an astute cop gets cracking on the case. But as he probes deeper, a series of gruesome murders put the entire city in panic leaving him in a predicament. What will he do next? SonyLIV, India’s first premium video on demand (VOD) platform along with Applause Entertainment, a venture of the Aditya Birla Group announced the launch of their first Tamil original ‘Iru Dhuruvam’ premiering on SonyLIV.
Produced for Applause Entertainment by Pramod Cheruvalath’s Sign of Life Productions, the show which means ‘bipolar’ is directed and written by M Kumaran. The show begins with a series of horrific murders that put the city in a state of shock and chaos overnight. It turns out to be the work of a serial killer who quotes couplets from the “Thirukkural” (a classic Tamil text) as clues, leaving everyone at sixes and sevens. Inspector David Viktor, a hawk-eyed cop is assigned to hunt down the killer. But what happens when the hunter himself becomes a prey? As Viktor gets embroiled deeper into this strange turn of events, little does he know what lies ahead for him. While investigating the brutal murders, he himself is under the scanner for his wife’s mysterious disappearance. Is there a connection between these two events? Will this investigation lead him to his wife? The gripping series will see inspector Viktor encountering all details that will put him at crossroads of his professional and personal life.
Running over 9 episodes, Iru Dhuruvam features actors Nandha Durairaj – one of the first popular Tamil actors venturing into the OTT space post a hiatus, Abhirami Iyer – former Miss Tamil Nadu who is a popular face in the Tamil web space, the young YouTube sensation Abdool and popular theatre and film artist Sebastin, Anisha in lead roles of this nail-biting web series, that is sure to leave you on the edge of your seat and hooked on till the end.
Iru Dhuruvam is SonyLIV’s second content offering for its Tamil audience. Post its foray in the market in May 2019, the platform recently launched the Tamil version of its marquee show Crime Patrol with actor Ganesh Venkatraman that has got the audience talking. With tailormade stories like Iru Dhuruvam, Crime Patrol, My Marappu, Cookies and the upcoming Tamil original Aivar amongst others SonyLIV plans to pique the interest of its Tamil audience by engaging them with localised content rooted in Tamil traditions and sensibilities. Additionally, some of the most popular shows from SonyLIV include TVF originals such as Pitchers, Permanent Roommates, Tripling, along with over 40 iconic shows from Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) content library like CID, Patiala Babes, Ladies Special, Aladdin, Beyhadh amongst others are available in Tamil to the audience for a customized entertainment experience.
Uday Sodhi Business Head Digital Sony Pictures Networks India said, “This partnership with Applause Entertainment blends our in-depth consumer understanding with their finesse in storytelling. With ‘Iru Dhuruvam’, we plan to scale up our Tamil offerings and be the go to OTT destination for the local audience. In a cluttered market like India, such collaborations are a leap towards an evolved ecosystem and will strengthen our promise of delivering cutting edge stories in the digital space. We look forward to a long term and fruitful association with Applause Entertainment as we collaborate to diversify our content offerings for the region.”
Sameer Nair, CEO, Applause Entertainment said, “India is a mass of niches and at Applause we want to build a diverse content repertoire to appeal to every audience palate. The launch of ‘Iru Dhuruvam’ is a step towards that direction. It marks our foray into regional content and is the first Tamil original partnership for Applause Entertainment and SonyLIV. We are excited to associate with SonyLIV and commence our journey of localized content through this show.”
iWorld
Meta plans 8,000 layoffs in new AI-led restructuring wave
First phase from May 20 may cut 10 per cent workforce amid AI pivot.
MUMBAI: At Meta, the future may be artificial but the cuts are very real. The social media giant is reportedly preparing a fresh round of layoffs, with an initial wave expected to impact around 8,000 employees as it doubles down on its artificial intelligence ambitions. According to a Reuters report, the first phase of job cuts is slated to begin on May 20, targeting roughly 10 per cent of Meta’s global workforce. With nearly 79,000 employees on its rolls as of December 31, the move marks one of the company’s most significant workforce reductions in recent years.
And this may only be the beginning. Sources indicate that additional layoffs are being planned for the second half of the year, although the scale and timing remain fluid, likely to be shaped by how Meta’s AI capabilities evolve in the coming months. Earlier reports had suggested that total cuts in 2026 could reach 20 per cent or more of its workforce.
The restructuring comes as chief executive Mark Zuckerberg continues to steer the company towards an AI-first operating model, committing hundreds of billions of dollars to the transition. Internally, this shift is already visible: teams within Reality Labs have been reorganised, engineers have been moved into a newly formed Applied AI unit, and a Meta Small Business division has been created to align with broader structural changes.
The trend is hardly isolated. Across the tech sector, companies are trimming headcount while investing aggressively in automation. Amazon, for instance, has reportedly cut around 30,000 corporate roles nearly 10 per cent of its white-collar workforce citing efficiency gains driven by AI. Data from Layoffs.fyi shows over 73,000 tech employees have already lost jobs this year, compared with 153,000 in all of 2024.
For Meta, the move echoes its earlier “year of efficiency” in 2022–23, when about 21,000 roles were eliminated amid slowing growth and market pressures. This time, however, the backdrop is different. The company is financially stronger, generating over $200 billion in revenue and $60 billion in profit last year, with shares up 3.68 per cent year-to-date though still below last summer’s peak.
That contrast underlines the shift underway. These layoffs are less about survival and more about reinvention. As Meta restructures itself around AI from autonomous coding agents to advanced machine learning systems, the question is no longer whether the company will change, but how many roles will be left unchanged when it does.
