Excel Entertainment, jointly owned by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, will be producing a digital series called Powerplay, in collaboration with the leading online shopping portal, Amazon. The show will be based on cricket and the team has roped in Richa Chadha to play the lead role.
Sidhwani confirmed the company’s involvement in the project. “We have set up an independent team for it. We have worked on these shows for the last eight-nine months,” he said. The series also marks the company’s foray into the digital space.
Director Karan Anshuman who directed the Bollywood satire, Bangistan, is also part of the team. A source from the production team told Deccan Chronicle, “Last seen in Sarbjit, Richa will play the role of an entrepreneur who owns and runs a cricket team. As a part of her homework, the actress will also learn a few cricket tactics.”. The actress was quoted as saying, “I’m working on brushing up my technical knowledge of cricket. I have always been a spectator and now for Powerplay, I am working on knowing the sport better.”
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There is also another show, a gangster epic set in Mirzapur which will start production in December. The series is said to be loosely based on Narcos, a Netflix production. The shows will be in Hindi and English.
Amazon Prime, an on-demand entertainment service, debuted in India last month. Much like Netflix, which also entered the Indian market this year, Amazon Prime will develop home-grown content and also intends to acquire movie titles. Powerplay marks Amazon’s first show.
Excel Entertainment has been largely occupied with Bollywood film production. The latest productions are Baar Baar Dekho and Rock on 2!