iWorld
ZEE5 drops ‘Gyaarah Gyaarah’ trailer
Mumbai: “Time is a flat circle,” Nietzsche once said. But what if that circle could be bent, twisted, and manipulated? ZEE5 is all set to shatter the boundaries of time and space with the mind-bending trailer of ‘Gyaarah Gyaarah.’ Set to premiere on 9 August, this Karan Johar and Guneet Monga Kapoor co-production questions the viewers on the possibility of altering present and future by changing the past.
Launched today, the trailer plunges viewers into a world where the impossible becomes possible, leaving them to wonder about the existence and power of time. Helmed by the visionary director Umesh Bist, ‘Gyaarah Gyaarah’ boasts a powerhouse cast including Kritika Kamra, Dhairya Karwa, and Raghav Juyal in the lead and Gautami Kapoor, Harsh Chhaya, Purnendu Bhattacharya, Mukti Mohan, Gaurav Sharma, among others.
Co-produced by Karan Johar and Apoorva Mehta of Dharmatic Entertainment, and Oscar-winning filmmaker duo Guneet Monga Kapoor and Achin Jain of Sikhya Entertainment, Gyaarah Gyaarah tells the riveting tale of two police officers from different eras connected by a mysterious walkie-talkie and the butterfly effect it causes on the past and present.
The past year has seen ZEE5 accomplish multiple highlights and milestones. The platform has witnessed a whopping 85Bn minutes of watch-time in the past year, with strong viewership coming in from metros and non-metros alike. Tier II and III cities account for 40 per cent of ZEE5’s viewership, while Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Delhi lead in metro consumption. Popular genres on the platform include thrillers, romance, dramas, action-adventure, and comedies, with pan-Indian audiences strongly gravitating to the multilingual storyteller’s diverse content library.
Talking about the overall success of ZEE5 and the launch of Gyaarah Gyaarah, ZEE5 India chief business officer Manish Kalra said, “At ZEE5, we remain dedicated to bringing exceptional content to our viewers. The trailer launch of ‘Gyaarah Gyaarah’ is a testament to this commitment. Our collaboration with Guneet Monga’s Sikhya Entertainment and Karan Johar’s Dharmatic Entertainment, both renowned for their storytelling excellence, is an exciting step towards enriching ZEE5’s diverse content library. ‘Gyaarah Gyaarah’ offers a unique blend of mystery, and drama in a way that we believe will captivate audiences in India and beyond. We’re confident that this series will set a new benchmark for original content in the digital streaming space.”
A senior detective Shaurya Anthwal, played by Dhairya Karwa, from the 1990s and a young police officer Yug Arya, portrayed by Raghav Juyal, find themselves linked by a perplexing communication tool that springs to life at 11:11 pm for a fleeting 60 seconds. At the center of this temporal whirlwind is a determined woman Vamika Rawat, played by Kritika Kamra, once mentored by the senior detective Shaurya Anthwal before he mysteriously disappeared and now guiding the present-day young police officer Yug Arya.
As Shaurya and Yug join forces to crack the many cold cases, they unknowingly set off a chain reaction, altering the course of history with each breakthrough. Vamika, who is oblivious to the extraordinary connection between Shaurya and Yug is increasingly puzzled by her subordinate’s uncanny insights. With every solved mystery, this unlikely trio edges closer to uncovering a staggering truth about the officer’s vanishing act and the nature of their impossible alliance. Racing against the clock and battling the repercussions of their time-altering actions, will they unearth the secrets behind their mystifying bond, or will the weight of changing destiny prove too perilous to bear? Tune-in to ZEE5 to know more as Gyaarah Gyaarah is set to premiere on 9 August.
Kritika Kamra said, “Stepping into the world of ‘Gyaarah Gyaarah’ has been an exhilarating journey for me. This role is unlike anything I’ve ever done before – it’s pushed me out of my comfort zone. Playing a cop in this mind-bending mystery thriller has been both thrilling and demanding. Moreover, working alongside visionaries like Karan Johar and Guneet Monga Kapoor is a dream come true – their guidance and creative energy on set was truly inspiring. I can’t wait for ZEE5’s audience to experience this unique story that blends time, suspense, and human emotions in such an unlikely way, that makes the storytelling graph of the show truly unique and exciting”.
Raghav Juyal said, “Being part of ‘Gyaarah Gyaarah’ has been a transformative experience for me. I started my journey on a TV reality show, seamlessly transitioned into hosting and comedic roles. Now, as I make a mark in the Bollywood industry, I am deeply grateful to Guneet for recognizing my potential and encouraging me to embrace serious and challenging roles. Portraying a police officer for the first time feels like a significant responsibility, it’s a big leap from my usual performances, and I’m grateful for this opportunity. It allows me to showcase a different side of my acting abilities and I can’t wait for the ZEE5 audiences to see what we’ve created with ‘Gyaarah Gyaarah’ – it’s going to be a whole new experience for me and hopefully for the audience too!”.
Dhairya Karwa said, “Immersing myself in the world of ‘Gyaarah Gyaarah’ has been an incredible journey. The idea of manipulating time and its impact on our decisions is fascinating, and it’s been thrilling to portray that on screen. Collaborating with such a talented cast and being guided by Karan Johar, Guneet Monga Kapoor and Umesh Sir has been a special experience. This project is unlike anything I’ve worked on before – it’s intense, makes you think, and keeps you engaged. I can’t wait for ZEE5 audiences to delve into this distinctive mix of thriller and suspense that challenges our perception of reality. ‘Gyaarah Gyaarah’ is a series that will make you reevaluate everything you thought you knew about time and fate”.
MUMBAI: If cricket were a binge-worthy series, this one just dropped its most explosive pilot yet. The opening weekend of the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League has come out swinging, smashing records across both television and digital platforms and reaffirming the tournament’s unmatched pull in India’s sporting and media landscape.
Backed by two high-octane matches featuring 200-plus run chases, the tournament delivered a combined reach of over 515 million viewers across linear TV and digital platforms via JioStar’s broadcast ecosystem, including Star Sports and JioHotstar. More tellingly, engagement surged alongside reach, with total watch-time hitting 32.6 billion minutes, a sharp 26 per cent jump over the opening weekend of the previous season.
The numbers reveal a deeper shift in how India watches cricket. Connected TV (CTV) consumption rose by 30 per cent, while peak concurrency on digital platforms jumped 61 per cent, signalling a growing appetite for shared, big-screen streaming experiences. On traditional television, the momentum held strong, with TV ratings (TVR) climbing 24 per cent compared to earlier seasons’ opening matches.
A key driver of this spike has been the evolution of the viewing experience itself. This season introduced differentiated feeds, most notably a Hindi CTV broadcast featuring cricketing voices such as Ravichandran Ashwin, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Irfan Pathan. Blending expert analysis with a watch-along format, the feed has added a conversational, almost second-screen feel without requiring viewers to leave their screens.
According to JioStar CEO for Sports Ishan Chatterjee, at the opening weekend underscores not just scale but also the depth of engagement that live cricket continues to command. He noted that the combination of large-screen viewing and digital interactivity is creating a more immersive and personalised experience, while also delivering tangible outcomes for brand partners.
From the league’s perspective, the early numbers point to a tournament that continues to reinvent itself. Arun Singh Dhumal, Chairman of the IPL, said the strong start reflects how high-quality cricket paired with enhanced viewing formats is resonating with audiences nationwide, while Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Devajit Saikia highlighted the “quality of engagement” as a key takeaway, not just the scale.
Commercially too, the opening weekend signals robust advertiser confidence. The broadcast is led by co-presenting sponsors including Google (Search AI Mode), Campa Energy, and Havells & Lloyd, alongside co-powered partners such as Birla Opus, Hero Motocorp and Amazon. A long tail of associate sponsors from OpenAI and Asian Paints to Flipkart and Amul further reflects the league’s unmatched ability to aggregate advertiser interest at scale.
Taken together, the opening weekend numbers are less a spike and more a statement. With 515 million viewers, 32.6 billion minutes of watch-time, and double-digit growth across formats, IPL 2026 has not just started strong, it has set the tone for a season that looks poised to push the boundaries of both sport and spectacle.
