ZEE5’s ‘ATM’ has been going great guns. The January 20th release has already registered an astronomical 50 million streaming minutes in less than a week. After a handful of superhit Telugu-language web series, ZEE5 is glad that its heist drama thriller is reigning supreme.
Starring VJ Sunny, Krishna, Raviraj and Roiel Shree as leading men, ‘ATM’ has Subbaraju as a gutsy cop. His arrogant and no-holds-barred attitude raised the stakes. After his entry, the web series becomes thoroughly engaging. Coupled with Harish Shankar’s writing, ‘ATM’ is a treat.
The ‘Gabbar Singh’ and ‘Gaddalakonda Ganesh’ director is the show’s story-writer and showrunner. His creative stamp is clearly visible all over.
Then there is the climax. The startling and unexpected introduction of the fifth thief combines thrill with anticipation. The second season of ‘ATM’ surely has got a commendable lead. It will be interesting to see which actor will play the fifth man.
Producers Hanshita Reddy and Harshith of Dil Raju Productions are happy with the response. Prudhvi’s political character, Divya Vani’s cop character and the romantic tracks (Divi Vadthya’s lip-lock has been talked about) have been appreciated by everyone.
When the title of the web series ‘ATM’ was announced, it got many to believe that ZEE5, showrunner Harish Shankar and Dil Raju Productions were up for something pathbreaking. ‘ATM’ has got scale, a brooding backdrop, and it shows the dark underbelly of a Hyderabadi slum with considerable maturity.
The story revolves around four petty thieves: Jagan, Karthik, Abhay and Harsha (played by VJ Sunny, Krishna, Raviraj and Roiel Shree). Their lives turn upside down when a cruel smuggler loses diamonds worth ten crores because of them. If they don’t earn ten crores and compensate the smuggler, their game is up. They are clueless and frustrated at their fate. They take inspiration from a historic heist involving an Italy Prime Minister, their own lives, and their knowledge of their surroundings in pulling off an ATM van heist.
The web series is not about how the heist is executed by the four men. It’s more about what follows next. Subbaraju plays an encounter specialist who doesn’t tolerate criminals. He is also adept at underestimating others and getting worked up when a woman (CI Uma Devi played by Divya Vani) tries to help him. His majestic ego could be his undoing.
And the four men are no pushovers. They may have started as petty thieves, but they are now on the cusp of extraordinary glory in the dark world of crime.
‘ATM’ radiates strong technical output (right from Prashanth R Vihari’s background score to the cinematography and editing). Most of the artists, supporting characters and negative roles make sense. Prudhvi gets to play a full-fledged role. As an aspirant MLA who feels slighted by his mistress’ taunts, he is comical.
Tight pacing in the initial episodes would have helped. It would not have hurt to introduce the mystery man (seen in the last five minutes with his back facing the camera) a bit early in the final episode. Despite its minor demerits, ‘ATM’ is the series to watch out for!
ZEE5 says CHOOSTUNE UNDIPOTAARU (Dekhtey Reh Jaogey) as it reveals a power-packed line-up of 11 originals across a gamut of genres in the presence of industry stalwarts such as Harish Shankar, Praveen Sattaru, Kona Venkat, Niharika and Sushmita Konidela.
The star-studded event –‘Hooked’, showcased the platform’s expansive line-up for Telugu audiences creating excitement with some highly anticipated original series, blockbuster movies and the best of dubbed content ~
India, 15th June, 2022: ZEE5, India and Bharat’s largest home-grown video streaming platform and multilingual storyteller for millions of entertainment seekers, reaffirmed its commitment towards its viewers and content partners in the South by unveiling a compelling slate of 11 Telugu originals in a star-studded event today in Hyderabad. With its strong consumer proposition, ZEE5 has been winning the hearts of audiences across the region. The platform’s content portfolio builds a high level of excitement as it brings the world of entertainment to our consumers’ screens in multiple languages, with diverse emotions and endless experiences to get hooked on to.
ZEE5 viewers in the Telugu market will have an extensive slate to watch ranging from thrillers to comedy, drama, romance, and many more which are deeply rooted in the rich culture and legacy of the region. In addition, viewers can watch blockbuster movies along with a line-up of original content and movies from ZEE5’s library that have been specially dubbed in Telugu to cater to the viewers’ consumption preferences. This much awaited content slate was unveiled in the presence of Harish Shankar, Praveen Sattaru, Kona Venkat, Niharika and Sushmita Konidela.
One could also catch a glimpse of the highly anticipated upcoming titles such as ‘Recce’, which is a multi-starrer thriller featuring Shiva Balaji, Sri Ram, Dhanya Balakrishna, Rajeshwari Nair, Aadukalam Nareyn, Sharanya Pradeep, Sammeta Gandhi, Ester Noronha and ‘Maa Neella Tank’ – a romantic comedy based in a small village that marks heartthrob Sushanth’s OTT debut. The event also saw noted filmmaker Harish Shankar revealing the first look of ‘ATM’- a heist comedy featuring Subbaraju, Prudhvi and VJ Sunny. . Further to this, popular actor Raj Tarun unveiled the lyrical video of a song from the upcoming ‘Aha Nee Pellanta’- a fun romantic show of a man’s failed attempt at finding a spouse.
The audiences were hooked to the line-up which boasts of shows like Hello World! – based on the life and trials of a group of youngsters on the cusp of their careers in the prominent IT sector of Hyderabad and Mission Tashaffi -an adrenaline-pumping spy drama. Other shows which we can look forward to are Paruvu, Bahishkarana, The Black Coat, Prema Vimanam and Hunting of the Stars.
The evening also raised a toast to the talented teams of Oka Chinna Family Story, Net, the Loser franchise and Gaalivaana for their remarkable storytelling which has had the Telugu audience hooked.
RRR had a dream run at the box-office all over the nation in all the languages of its release. Despite several new releases, RRR managed to stay decent and generated revenues. The theatrical run is expected to come to an end in a week. Zee Studios acquired the South Indian digital streaming rights of the film. The movie would be available for digital streaming on Zee Plex in all the South Indian languages from May 20th.
RRR will be available on pay-per-view basis and the film will not be available for free. At a later date, RRR will be available for free on Zee5. Directed by SS Rajamouli, RRR is one of the costliest films made in Indian cinema. NTR, Ram Charan, Alia Bhatt and Olivia Morris are the lead actors in this periodic drama set before independence. DVV Entertainment bankrolled the film.
BBC Studios in association with North Star Entertainment produced an interesting suspense thriller titled Gaalivaana and the web series comprising of seven episodes is now streaming on the digital platform Zee5. Radhika Sarathkumar, Saikumar, Chaitanya Krishna and Chandini Chowdary played the lead roles in this intriguing thriller. Sharan Koppisetty is the director and Gowra Hari composed the music. Watch this interesting crime thriller on Zee5
Top tv channel Zee Studios acquired the final copy of Solo Brathuke So Better and they released the film in theatres. Solo Brathuke So Better is expected to make decent revenues in its final run and Zee Studios is quite happy with the deal. They have closed the other deals and the film will stream on their digital platform Zee5. The digital giant closed some more deals in Tollywood already. Zee Studios acquired the complete rights of Nani’s Ante Sundaraniki and Sai Dharam Tej’s Republic which will release next year.
Going with the current news, Zee Studios acquired the complete rights of Gopichand’s upcoming movie Seetimaar which is a sports drama. Sampath Nandi is the director and the shoot of the film is in final stages. Tamannaah is the leading lady and Sri Srinivasaa Silver Screens are the producers. Zee Studios acquired the copyrights of Seetimaar for an undisclosed price. The deal is closed recently and an official announcement will be made soon.
