iWorld
Want to help apps in creating short video platforms: Roposo’s Avinash Saxena
MUMBAI: At a time when local versus global is being heavily promoted, a number of homegrown start-ups are also gaining from the trend. While the user-generated content (UGC) ecosystem in India has largely been dominated by a few global players, a number of homegrown ones are gradually emerging. Roposo, which falls among the promising ones, now has more than five crore users.
In a virtual roundtable by Indiantelevision.com, Roposo co-founder and Glance VP product management Avinash Saxena said that it has more than 100 million daily active users (DAU) now. Roposo was acquired by InMobi Group’s Glance last year, making its ecosystem stronger. Saxena said that a lot of people see content through lock screen on their phones through Glance, which has video content, news and a game centre.
While Saxena mentioned that millions of videos are being created on Roposo, it has various channels on which those videos go up. Rather than having a singular feed like other short video platforms, Roposo believes in the diversity of content, allowing for multi-channel viewing. He also added that content on Roposo is very diverse including creators showcasing talents, users expressing views, updating local news, teaching, etc.
“Roposo is working brilliantly with communities and Glance is helping communities to increase the outreach of videos created through the community. So we thought why not help other apps to create short video platforms and that is why we have a very important SDK. We are testing with a couple of partners and have got wonderful results. It can help any app to become a short video platform for their own community,” Saxena added.
Usually, on Roposo, every user spends 20-25 minutes every day, watching nearly 100 short videos per day. While during the Covid2019 crisis more people have turned online, Saxena said Roposo is serving a purpose to connect people and keeping the connection alive through interesting videos and helping them get over the boredom. According to him, community engagement is keeping their morale high.
However, as now lockdown is easing in many places, Saxena said that many of the videos being created out of the home. He said that many videos are being created on Covid2019-related topics on the back of their interesting filters. They also have a channel dedicated for Covid2019-related topics.
Saxena said that they are directly competing with TikTok although being a different product. He said that the local crowd is supporting them and also sharing constructive feedback. However, he stated that if someone makes a good product, the community will support and extend the app’s awareness, making it viral. But if a product is not good it won’t be able to thrive whatever the origin might be.
“From November we have been a part of InMobi group, which works across the globe. There is a committee which takes care of everything related to security and user information. We have not experienced any attack which has altered content but if there is any we will be quick to respond,” Saxena added on security concerns.
He also opined that allowing creators to be creative, building a community and creating a smart recommendation engine is mandatory for such platforms to succed.
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.
