Amazon Prime Originals: A Boon for Content Creators In India
*By Bridgette Webb*
Since its founding in 1951, the Film Censor Board in India has kept Bollywood light and non-threatening.
Enter Amazon, which is partnering with Excel Entertainment to produce "Mirzapur," a new, darker variety of Indian entertainment.
"Amazon ($AMZN) has provided us a platform where we are able to circumnavigate a lot of restrictions that we had in the mainstream media platforms, like television,” series creator Karan Anshuman said Monday in an interview on Cheddar.
According to Anshuman, the series, an action-packed mafia drama, represents a first for Indian television.
"This is the first time we have a mafia gangster drama, that's got a lot of blood and gore that's in your face. That's what really sets it apart from what we have seen so far," he said.
Anshuman his producer, Ritesh Sidhwani, and Amazon veered darker in their first collaboration, the inaugural Indian Prime original series, "Inside Edge," which earned a nomination for Best Drama series at this year's international Emmy awards.
For Amazon, India and its population of 1.3 billion represents a massive new market for the streaming service.
To Anshuman, his partnership with Amazon also presents a rich opportunity ー one he acknowledged is less possible in his home country.
"We have the talent, they are just shackled in many ways ー they're are just too many hurdles to get past. It's only platforms like Amazon that has given us the opportunity to really shine in terms of writing and producing good content."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/amazons-latest-bet-on-indian-content-hits-the-masses).
Amazon was sued Wednesday by Federal Trade Commission for what it called a years-long effort to enroll consumers without consent into its Prime program and making it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions.
A 29-year-old Cincinnati woman was awakened by her Apple Watch, which alerted her about an elevated heart rate, prompting her to head to a doctor who notified her of a blood clot.
Anheuser-Busch's top marketing executive Marcel Marcondes addressed the ongoing boycott of Bud Light after protests over the company's partnership with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
UPS recently announced it would equip delivery trucks with air conditioning. Dr. Douglas Casa, CEO of Korey Stringer Institute at the University of Connecticut, spoke with Cheddar News on the dangers of heat stroke and how workers can keep themselves safe from extreme weather.
The push for clean energy is igniting an interest in electric vehicles but charging EVs continues to be a concern for consumers looking to save. Brian Moody, executive editor with Autotrader, joined Cheddar News to discuss how people can make home-charging more affordable.
