iWorld
Voot Select set to stream ‘Apharan 2’ on 18 March
Mumbai: OTT service platform Voot Select is set to stream the second season of “Apharan 2” on 18 March.
Produced by Ekta R Kapoor and Jio Studios, the show features a stellar cast Arunoday Singh, Nidhi Singh, Snehil Dixit Mehra, Saanand Verma and Sukhmani Sadana and spans across 11 episodes. The show is directed by Santosh Singh, and it is written by Siddharth Sengupta, Umesh Padalkar, Anahata Menon.
“Apharan is a cult series that was a runaway success,” said Viacom18 Digital Ventures head SVOD and international business Ferzad Palia. “We couldn’t be happier than to bring the second edition exclusively to Voot Select members and play home to this popular franchise. Apharan Season 2 marks the start of a heavy line up of top-quality Originals with probably the most robust slate that India will witness in 2022.”
A special screening was held for the launch of the show attended by industry honchos on Wednesday. The star-studded affair was attended by Ekta R Kapoor along with the entire cast of the show.
“This is my first collaboration with Jio Studios and Voot Select and I am thrilled to associate with them for an unconventional show like Apharan,” said Kapoor. “After the overwhelming response received from the audience for the first season, it only made sense for us to take them by surprise with Season 2 by steering away from the mainstream action-thriller genre. With never-seen-before plot twists, the sequel is sure to make many jaws drop. Be ready – Kyunki Sabka Katega Dobara!”
Set against the backdrop of India and Serbia, “Apharan 2” follows the story of a cop Rudra who sets out on a journey to kidnap an intelligent criminal Bikram Bahadur Shah who wants to eliminate India from the world map. The trailer of the show on YouTube crossed 35 million views over 12 days, according to the streaming platform.
“The Apharan 2 trailer has risen viewers’ curiosity for the sequel, but the wait is not too long now,” said actor Arunoday Singh. “Playing the character of Rudra Srivastava has been an unforgettable experience for me. The entire cast has kept every minute detail in mind while getting into the skin of our respective characters. We embodied their physical as well as emotional traits. All I can say is that it will leave you at the edge of your seat. Hoping that you guys like it.”
<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZuATjHv3ces” title=”YouTube video player” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen></iframe>
iWorld
Prime Video to stream Tamil thriller Exam from May 15
Seven-episode series from National Award-winner A. Sarkunam streams in India and 240-plus countries
MUMBAI: Prime Video announced on April 27th that Exam, a taut seven-episode suspense drama set against the crucible of high-stakes competitive testing, will premiere on May 15th in India and across more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
Written and directed by A. Sarkunam, a National Award-winner, the series is produced under the Wallwatcher Films banner by the creative duo Pushkar and Gayatri, who have previously delivered Suzhal: The Vortex (both seasons) and Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie for the platform. Dushara Vijayan and Aditi Balan lead the cast, with Abbas in a pivotal role.
The show will stream in Tamil with dubbed versions in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada, and subtitles in 15 languages, including English, a distribution sweep that underscores Prime Video’s push to globalise Indian regional content.
Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India, framed the series as both timely and commercially astute. “Exam is a very timely and relevant story that captures the emotional intensity of competitive exams and masterfully transforms it into a thrilling high-stakes drama,” he said. “We believe it is a story that will resonate deeply with millions.” Madhok noted that it was a privilege to once again collaborate with Pushkar and Gayatri following the success of Suzhal and Vadhandhi.
For Pushkar and Gayatri, the series is as much a moral reckoning as a thriller. “With Exam, we wanted to dig into ambition, injustice, and those moral crossroads that people face when pushed to the edge,” the creative producers said. “At the heart of this story is a young woman who refuses to remain powerless. Her journey is not about glamorising defiance, but about exploring the emotional and ethical cost of standing up to a system stacked against her.” They described Prime Video as “an incredible collaborator” and “the perfect home” to bring the series to global audiences.
Wallwatcher Films, which Pushkar and Gayatri founded and run, has been on a productive streak with the platform. Beyond Exam, the company is also readying Vadhandhi Season 2 for Prime Video, making the duo one of the platform’s most active regional creative partners.
The real exam, it seems, is for Prime Video itself: can a Tamil drama about systemic injustice and a young woman’s defiance crack audiences from Chennai to Chicago? If Pushkar and Gayatri’s track record is anything to go by, the answer is likely yes, and the results will be out on May 15th.
