iWorld
Tandav fills the need gap of political drama format for Amazon Prime Video
KOLKATA: As 2021 dawns, Amazon Prime Video has given a peek at its new content line up. The streaming service recently unveiled the trailer of new original series Tandav. The nine-episode political drama will start streaming on 15 January.
Amazon Prime Video India originals head Aparna Purohit said the story of Tandav is truly rooted in our soil. “This is our first political drama. It is an interesting story about the pursuit of power and the lengths one will go to get it and in some cases keep it. It has the right doses of all the ingredients: love, hate, deceive, betrayal, suspense, and thrill,” she shared.
The trailer of the show takes viewers behind the closed, chaotic corridors of power and politics. Set in the capital of the world’s largest democracy, the series is a gripping, fictional drama that showcases the lengths to which people go in their quest for power.
Purohit went on to say that Prime Video has always endeavoured to tell stories that are culturally rooted, shows that can speak to the many Indias that co-exist. While the platform already has many genres in its library of original content, political drama was the only missing piece which will now be addressed by Tandav. For a nation that is so obsessed with its politics, banking on a large scale political drama was not a difficult call to take.
“I distinctly remember when Ali (Ali Abbas Zafar, creator of Tandav) narrated the story to us in 2017. He is a very visual narrator. We felt that the story was a peek into the world that we read about in newspapers and see on the television but hardly know about in detail. It was a very easy decision to make to opt for this one. And then finally the wonderful cast came together for this show and breathed life into the characters and created all the magic. I am incredibly proud of this show and this journey that we have had,” she said.
Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, the political drama features an ensemble cast comprising Saif Ali Khan, Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub, Dimple Kapadia, Kritika Kamra, Gauahar Khan, Sarah Jane Dias, Sunil Grover, Dino Morea, Anup Soni, Kumud Mishra and Sandhya Mridul. The script is by Article 15 writer Gaurav Solanki.
The official synopsis of the web series reads, “The charismatic leader of a premiere political party, Samar Pratap (Saif Ali Khan), feels he’s ready to inherit the chair of PM after his party wins the elections. Samar’s father, the party patriarch and the prime minister of the country, Devki Nandan (Tigmanshu Dhulia) is not willing to retire yet. Anuradha, Devki’s close associate (Dimple Kapadia), party senior leader Gopal Das (Kumud Mishra) are few of many other leaders considering themselves fit to sit the chair. But the chair never comes easy. A parallel story plays out with the idealistic campus activist Shiva (Zeeshan Ayub) who becomes an overnight youth icon as he shines at a political event. Shiva wants to bring about the change, sway the youth and overthrow the power pillars. Shiva gets the first taste of power. Shiva and Samar’s lives intersect as the national politics meets the campus activism. The dance of politics ensues as a series of events expose the inherent deceit, manipulation, greed, ambition and violence in all the relationships.”
iWorld
Subedaar puts Indian original cinema on the global map with record-breaking Prime Video debut
MUMBAI: Prime Video has a runaway hit on its hands. Subedaar, the gritty action drama starring Anil Kapoor, has stormed to become the most-watched Indian original movie on the platform in its opening weekend, cracking the Top 10 across 31 countries and landing in 91 per cent of India’s pin codes within days of its March 5 premiere.
The film, a visceral, emotionally-charged story of a retired soldier, Subedaar Arjun Maurya, wrestling with civilian life amid crime and corruption, has struck a nerve. Directed by Suresh Triveni and co-starring Radhikka Madan, Mona Singh, Saurabh Shukla, Aditya Rawal, Faisal Malik, and Khushboo Sundar, the film is already being hailed as a showcase for what Indian original storytelling can achieve on the world stage.
“Subedaar’s success is a reflection of the growing scale and global resonance of Indian storytelling,” said Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India. “The film’s emotional narrative, its rooted portrayal of a soldier confronting his toughest battles beyond the battlefield, has struck a chord. Anil Kapoor delivers an acting masterclass, while Suresh Triveni’s solid direction and great performances from the ensemble cast have resulted in love and appreciation from customers across the world.”
Kapoor, 62, has been here before, but rarely at this altitude. Written by Triveni and Prajwal Chandrashekar, with dialogues by Triveni, Saurabh Dwivedi, and Chandrashekar, the film is a production by Opening Image Films in association with Anil Kapoor Film & Communication Network (AKFCN), produced by Vikram Malhotra, Kapoor, and Triveni.
Subedaar streams exclusively on Prime Video in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu across India, and in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.
For Prime Video, the numbers tell the real story: one weekend, one film, a global footprint, and a very loud signal that Indian original cinema is no longer just travelling well. It’s arriving.
