OTT platforms in India are proving important to big stars in the new scheme of things.
Bollywood star Shahid Kapoor is the latest one to step into the digital space. He is set to team up with filmmaker duo Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK's for their upcoming thriller-comedy series for the streaming platform Amazon Prime Video.
The untitled series is created and written by Raj and DK, who earlier helmed the hit The Family Man for the same platform.
“Shahid Kapoor is an incredibly gifted actor and we are excited to have him join the Prime Video family with a brand new exciting collaboration with Raj and DK. This is a fresh and unique combination that we’re confident will be a hit with our customers,” said Vijay Subramaniam, Director and Head, Content, Amazon Prime Video, India.
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Shahid excited to be part of web series
The Kabir Singh star, who is quite a hit among the youth crowd in India, himself was quite excited to be making his digital debut.
“I have been keen to collaborate with Raj and DK for a while. My favourite Indian show on Amazon Prime Video is The Family Man. I couldn’t think of anyone better for my digital debut than them."
Amazon Prime Video is a fabulous service and it’s a privilege to work with them. I loved the story idea when I first heard it and since then it has been an exciting ride so far, he added.
The creator duo Raj and DK said “Shahid is an exciting actor to watch and work with. The intensity he brings to his roles is amazing. Our long-standing relationship with Amazon Prime Video makes us feel more responsible towards every series we do with them.”
The show is co-written by Sita R Menon, Suman Kumar and Hussain Dalal. The streaming platform will announce the rest of the cast soon.
Shahid will be seen next in Jersey, the Hindi remake of the Telugu hit of the same name, as a former cricketer who returns to playing in his mid-30s.
Amazon Prime Video bets big on India
Amazon Prime Video is betting big on original and exclusive Indian content. It is focusing its investments on bringing more content and expanding its service to a larger audience in India.
Amazon Prime India is also intensifying its efforts to penetrate the Indian market. Recently, it partnered with Indian telecom company Airtel to launch a new Prime Video plan made specifically for mobile users. It is a global-first effort for the company.
On the content side, Amazon Prime Video has over 30 shows in production and over 50 in development, and it continues to bring in movies across languages on the platform within weeks of theatrical release.
Amazon Prime Video's straight release Surarai Potru in Tamil was one of the biggest hits of last year across languages in India.
Amazon Prime Video has been investing deeply across Indian language films and shows. Shows like Four More Shots Please, Paatal Lok, Bandish Bandits and Breathe were introduced last year, followed by films like Shakuntala Devi, Gulabo Sitabo or Coolie No. 1 in the later half of the year.
Its big release this week is the first-on-the-OTT Malayalam blockbuster Drishyam 2, starring superstar Mohanlal and Meena in the leads.
