iWorld
Zee5’s ‘Tehran’ races to 100 million minutes in record-breaking debut
MUMBAI: The John Abraham-starrer became the fastest Hindi film of 2025 to cross the 100 million streaming minutes mark on Zee5 and it did so in just 72 hours of its Independence Day weekend premiere. By the end of its launch week, the geo-political thriller had clocked up a staggering 200 million minutes, securing its place as the platform’s most-watched Hindi release of the year.
The film didn’t just win over Indian audiences. Streaming across 190 plus countries, Tehran broke into Zee5’s global Top 5 for 2025, trending in the US, UK, MENA and APAC proof that its tense narrative struck a chord with the diaspora.
A slick marketing blitz only added to the spectacle. From a visual projection on Mumbai’s Bandra-Worli Sea Link to hoardings across UP, MP and Mumbai, Tehran was unmissable. The promotions even included Zee5’s first-ever exclusive screening at the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service in Delhi, capped with a candid Q&A session with John Abraham himself.
Zee5 business head (Hindi), Kaveri Das, credited the success to the film’s “intelligent narrative” and said the response reflects the appetite for “stories that entertain while sparking conversations.”
Meanwhile, Abraham called the audience’s love “truly overwhelming” and said the film reinforced his belief in pushing boundaries and said, “Geo-political thrillers are a genre I truly believe in, and this proves viewers want stories that go beyond entertainment, bold films that stay with you long after the credits roll.”
Directed by Dinesh Vijan, the thriller stars John Abraham, Neeru Bajwa, Manushi Chhillar and Madhurima Tuli, and is set against the backdrop of the 2012 magnetic bomb blast near the Israeli Embassy in Delhi. With its blockbuster premiere, Tehran has firmly joined the ranks of Zee5’s most successful titles, reaffirming the streamer’s grip on premium homegrown content.
iWorld
Subedaar puts Indian original cinema on the global map with record-breaking Prime Video debut
MUMBAI: Prime Video has a runaway hit on its hands. Subedaar, the gritty action drama starring Anil Kapoor, has stormed to become the most-watched Indian original movie on the platform in its opening weekend, cracking the Top 10 across 31 countries and landing in 91 per cent of India’s pin codes within days of its March 5 premiere.
The film, a visceral, emotionally-charged story of a retired soldier, Subedaar Arjun Maurya, wrestling with civilian life amid crime and corruption, has struck a nerve. Directed by Suresh Triveni and co-starring Radhikka Madan, Mona Singh, Saurabh Shukla, Aditya Rawal, Faisal Malik, and Khushboo Sundar, the film is already being hailed as a showcase for what Indian original storytelling can achieve on the world stage.
“Subedaar’s success is a reflection of the growing scale and global resonance of Indian storytelling,” said Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India. “The film’s emotional narrative, its rooted portrayal of a soldier confronting his toughest battles beyond the battlefield, has struck a chord. Anil Kapoor delivers an acting masterclass, while Suresh Triveni’s solid direction and great performances from the ensemble cast have resulted in love and appreciation from customers across the world.”
Kapoor, 62, has been here before, but rarely at this altitude. Written by Triveni and Prajwal Chandrashekar, with dialogues by Triveni, Saurabh Dwivedi, and Chandrashekar, the film is a production by Opening Image Films in association with Anil Kapoor Film & Communication Network (AKFCN), produced by Vikram Malhotra, Kapoor, and Triveni.
Subedaar streams exclusively on Prime Video in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu across India, and in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.
For Prime Video, the numbers tell the real story: one weekend, one film, a global footprint, and a very loud signal that Indian original cinema is no longer just travelling well. It’s arriving.
