iWorld
Weekend Thrills: Citadel, Detective Boomrah, and more spy thrillers
Mumbai: Sherlock Holmes has entertained generations of readers and movie lovers with his impeccable acumen and nose for crime. He introduced people to spy thrillers, where finding clues is just ‘elementary my dear!’ Over the time, a few other prominent detective characters and spy-centric content have also managed to grab the audience’s attention. Here are some spy shows and films currently streaming on OTT that could give you the perfect dose of thrill.
Citadel
Currently streaming on Amazon Prime, this one released last month and has been making the right buzz because it stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas along with Richard Madden. These two are Citadel spies who have been presumed dead when they were ambushed by Manticore agents during a mission in Italy. With his memory wiped out Richard is living an ordinary life, which gives a playing field to the Manticore crime syndicate. The agents must remember their past and fight back, because they are the only ones who can do so.
Detective Boomrah
Directed by Sudhanshu Rai, who also essays the role of detective Boomrah, this series tries to solve the mystery of a sudden appearance of a man in a locked room, and an equally sudden disappearance as he vanishes mid air after jumping off the terrace. When Amtim, an employee working at the hotel jumps in a similar way, Detective Boomrah follows him, even as the others watch them disappear. Is this the end of the detective or is there more to it? Find out on Disney+ Hotstar.
The Gray Man
This one has been streaming on Netflix since last year. CIA Agent Six realises that his supervisor Carmichael has carried out unsanctioned assassination operations. When Six refuses to play to his plan, Carmichael sends Lloyd Hansen to eliminate him. In this movie Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling are cast as two strong leads and the work literally creates fireworks.
Pathaan
This one created quite an uproar as the film went on to break all records. Story of Pathaan, an exiled RAW agent who brings together others like him to take on Jim, another ex-RAW agent as he intends to create havoc in the country with biological weapons. While the film created box office records, and went on to earn more than Rs 1000 crores, its release on OTT has been as exciting. Currently streaming on Amazon Prime, the film now has deleted scenes, adding to the viewing experience of the audience.
Detective Byomkesh Bakshi!
This movie, which is starring Dibakar Bannerjee and is currently streaming on Netflix, takes place in a 1940s Calcutta that was still feeling the impacts of World War 2. A chemist goes missing, and nobody realizes that there could be a mystery behind it. Detective Byomkesh sets out to solve the case while also defending Bengal, the city where the story is based in. Co-incidentally at the time, it was the epicentre of the independence movement too.
Perfume
Directed by Phillipp Kadelbach, and streaming on Netflix, the film takes us through the life of lead detectives who are trying to solve the case of a singer who was murdered and scent glands were excised. Perplexed by this curious case, the detectives try to solve a case where the singer’s friends become the key suspects. With interesting twists and plot reveals at every point, the film is an interesting watch.
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.
