JioHotstar unveiled a list of 25 new titles across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada at the JioHotstar South Unbound event held in Chennai. The event was attended by Tamil Nadu's Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, actor-MP Kamal Haasan, actors Mohanlal, Urvashi, Nagarjuna, Vijay Sethupathi, and Nivin Pauly, among others. At the event, the streamer also announced an investment of ₹4,000 crore over the next five years to boost South India’s creative economy.
The Malayalam slate includes new web shows such as Pharma, Anali, Secret Stories: Roslin, Cousins and Kalyanam, and returning shows Kerala Crime Files and 1000 Babies.
Pharma, marking Nivin Pauly's web series debut, is directed by PR Arun, who earlier wrote Jamnapyari and Finals. The series, about a medical representative's fight to expose a powerful pharma mafia, also stars veteran Hindi actor Rajit Kapur, Shruti Ramachandran, Binu Pappu, and Narain, among others. It is slated to premiere on December 19.
Anali, said to be based on the Koodathayi Cyanide Killings, is headlined by Leona Lishoy and Nikhila Vimal and directed by Midhun Manuel Thomas.
Next on the slate is Secret Stories: Roslin, presented by Drishyam director Jeethu Joseph. Moothon-fame Sanjana Dipu plays the lead in the series directed by debutant Sumesh Nandakumar. It also marks the screenwriting debut of Malayalam lyricist Vinayak Sasikumar. Meena, Vineeth, and Hakim Shahjahan also star in it.
Cousins and Kalyanam is a story about six cousins over 25 years and seven weddings, exploring friendship and relationships in a light-hearted tone. It is written and created by Praveen Balakrishnan and directed by Vishnu Chandran. The cast includes Priya Prakash Varrier, Roshan Abdul Rahoof, Junaiz, and Nandana Varma.
Apart from this, the hit police procedural series Kerala Crime Files will return for a third season with Aju Varghese, Lal, and Arjun Radhakrishnan reprising their roles, along with the second season of Rahman and Neena Gupta's 1000 Babies, also a thriller.
A non-fiction show titled Comedy Cooks, part of "expanding the reality portfolio with culturally rooted, high-energy formats," is also in the works in Malayalam.
Sharing his views on the explosive growth of the South Indian entertainment industry, Kamal Haasan, noted, "Today, regional is becoming the new national, and ethnic is the new international. Stories born in Madurai, Malappuram, Mandya, or Machilipatnam are no longer 'regional cinema" - they are national cultural events.”
Krishnan Kutty, Head – Entertainment (South) added, "The South has always been a creative powerhouse, and it is a privilege to serve a region that is defining the next era of Indian storytelling. The stories born here are bold, the creators are fearless, and the audiences are among the most invested than anywhere in the country. Our commitment is to fuel this ecosystem with meaningful, long-term investments in talent, infrastructure, and new storytelling formats."
