iWorld
ZEE5 and Cosmos-Maya sign multi-project deal
MUMBAI: Leading India and Singapore-based animation studio Cosmos-Maya and India’s entertainment super-app ZEE5 have entered into a far-reaching multi-project partnership which will see 250+ episodes of Cosmos-Maya’s content air on the OTT App’s new offering ZEE5 Kids.
The deal will see the exclusive digital premiere of three of Cosmos-Maya’s properties: Guddu (Season 2), Bapu, and Gadget Guru Ganesha. This new agreement brings a total of 500+ episodes of Cosmos-Maya’s content broadcasting on ZEE5 platforms following a previous agreement for 250+ episodes for three other Cosmos-Maya’s series: ViR: The Robot Boy, Eena Meena Deeka and Chacha Bhatija, which have been airing on ZEE5 as part of its library.
With around 11.4 million Daily Active Users as of Dec 2019, the Zee Enterprises’ owned ZEE5 is India’s Entertainment super-app. With ZEE5 Kids, they aim to provide a bespoke amalgamation of entertainment and education content for kids in a safe and secure environment. ZEE5 Kids will also educate parents on the content slate, features, and safety precautions through blogs, stories, challenges, and tutorials.
ZEE5 India programming head Aparna Acharekar said: “Responsible and entertaining homegrown content for kids is the need of the hour and ZEE5 Kids is launching to meet that. It is great working with a partner like Cosmos-Maya, which has captured the imagination of children and has been successful through the years in bringing kids’ content to the masses. With our new offering, we want kids and parents at large to have #NonStopBACHFUN anytime, anywhere.”
Cosmos-Maya CEO Anish Mehta added: “We are delighted to be working with ZEE5. They have been successful in reaching all parts of the country in a very short span of time, and this deal means six of our shows overall will be made available to ZEE5’s viewers in an array of regional languages. All of these are in line with ZEE5’s vision of democratization of content and our USP of ‘Novelty with Relatability’, and we are glad that this move will provide engaging entertainment to children nationwide during this challenging time.”
Guddu chronicles the exploits of the circus lion Guddu, a spin-off character from the Motu Patlu franchise. Bapu is a first of its kind IP inspired by the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. Gadget Guru Ganesha is a slice of life buddy comedy set on a quintessential Indian family and beautifully encapsulates the nuances of Indian culture in an entertaining format.
Cosmos-Maya is Asia’s leading kids’ animation studio with 18 series on air globally and a 60% market share of the Indian kids’ content market including two of the country’s most popular children’s shows Motu Patlu and Selfie with Bajrangi.
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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.
