At FICCI Frames 2025, Prime Video India’s senior leadership has reflected on the platform’s expanding footprint across India and the growing international appeal of its content. The session, titled “Made in India: I-Dramas, Are Our Stories Ready to Travel Across Borders?”, has featured Shilangi Mukherji, Director & Head of SVOD Business, Prime Video India, and Nikhil Madhok, Director & Head of Originals, Prime Video India, in conversation with Ajita Shashidhar, National Editor, Fortune India.
Underlining the global rise of Indian storytelling, Madhok has revealed that Indian titles have featured in Prime Video’s global top 10 every week in 2024. “In fact, nearly 25% of the viewership for Indian content on Prime Video comes from outside India,” he said, noting how these stories have become a window into India’s evolving identity.
Madhok has also emphasized the power of originality in making Indian stories travel globally. “What we have learnt is that imitation will not take you far; what travels well is originality and authenticity. For our content to be loved the world over, we must stay true to what we do best,” he said. “While the quality of storytelling, the craft, the investment in production must meet international standards, it is that rooted authenticity which truly matters.”
Mukherji has elaborated on how Prime Video has ensured local and authentic stories reach multilingual audiences both in India and abroad. “We create stories that surprise and delight our customers and ultimately offer something that customers can relate to. Through localisation, we also cater to audiences who are not of Indian origin or do not understand Indian languages,” she said. Nearly 60% of Prime Video’s Indian users now stream content in four or more Indian languages.
Reflecting on the evolution of Indian Originals, Madhok has said, “We had to build this initiative from the ground up, identifying creators and writers and training them to develop long-form original series.” Shows such as The Family Man, Mirzapur, Made in Heaven, Panchayat, and Paatal Lok have since become viewer favourites. “More than 60% of our fiction shows have gone into multiple seasons or their new seasons are under development, a very healthy success rate,” he added.
Discussing the platform’s accessibility and reach, Mukherji has noted that “the Indian slate is pretty much the biggest slate outside of the U.S.” With 100 Originals in various stages of development and production, Prime Video’s pipeline has continued to grow across languages. Highlighting the platform’s broad viewership, she said, “All of this put together, what it does for us is that we receive viewership from 99% of pin codes in India. We continue to see strong adoption of Prime Video in India, as in the last twelve months, nearly 25% of our streamers have been completely new to the service.”
On the platform’s expanding film strategy, Madhok has shared, “While our core business is streaming, we really believe in the theatrical window and the magic of theatres. And depending on the kind of movie that we are producing, we take a joint call with our creators in terms of which movie can go to theatres first.” Beginning 2026, Prime Video will premiere three to four Indian films annually from Amazon MGM Studios in theatres.
Mukherji has also highlighted the success of Prime Video’s video entertainment marketplace, with 25+ Indian and international add-on partners and over 8,500 titles in its rental catalogue. “We’re seeing that 60% of our movie rental catalogue is rented every month, and we receive rental transactions from customers from 95% of pin codes in India,” she said.
Speaking on India’s potential to achieve wider global recognition, Mukherji has urged the industry to collaborate and invest in early localization rather than treating it as an afterthought. Concluding the discussion, Madhok has noted that India’s creative momentum is only beginning to show its full potential. “We have seen green shoots on the surface of all our Original content,” he said.
