Eros Now launches first original series - Side Hero

All eight episodes of the show starring Kunaal Roy Kapur will be available on the platform from September 24.

Eros Now, the subscription-based video on demand (SVOD) platform by Eros International is launching its first original series - Side Hero. All episodes will be available for binge-viewing on September 24, 2018.

Directed by Rohan Sippy, Side Hero stars Kunaal Roy Kapur as a fictionalised version of himself, trying to become a lead hero and prove that acting is not just a 'hobby'.

Side Hero Trailer

With an aim to engage with the audience, Eros Now has undertaken a robust 360-degree marketing campaign to promote Side Hero. The OTT platform plans to strategically encompass marketing elements such as on-air promotions, creatig social media buzz, on-ground association, outdoor campaigns, radio spots, and various PR tools, making it an impactful campaign. Side Hero will be extensively promoted on major broadcast channels through a 15-day-long campaign alongside aggressive promotions on leading radio stations in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Eros Now will also tactically use the outdoor medium for promotions at 100+ sites in Mumbai.

Taking experiential on-ground entertainment to its influencers and stakeholders, Eros Now will host an open-air screening in Mumbai. The digital entertainment platform will also use its expertise across social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat for engaging the influencers and users alike.

Ridhima Lulla

Ali Hussein

Talking about the new series, Ridhima Lulla, chief content officer, Eros group, says, "Side Hero is a mocumentary on Kunaal Roy Kapur's life and how he has been a 'side hero' and we are going to play on that."

Ali Hussein, chief operating officer, Eros Now, adds, "The way we are positioning it is this is a show about Bollywood that makes fun of Bollywood, from the makers of Bollywood."

The plan was to launch this series in 2015. Talking about why it took so long, Lulla says, "Rohan and Kunaal had come to us with the idea in 2015 and we went through a rigorous process. The three of us shot the pilot and our focus group tested it. We got reactions from different audiences across India and saw how we could implement those reactions and make sure that the show's story became stronger. So, it took a while and all shows need that kind of time for development and writing."

With regard to the show having multiple seasons, Lulla says, "I think all the shows we intend to do are multi-seasonal."

Hussein adds, "The way we think about this is that at the end of the day, we have created a good show and added heart and soul and the audience will decide how this works. We believe that the space is interesting and we are setting up a lot of these shows to be multi-seasonal. Whether it transpires or not, only time will tell. Unlike TV, we will be more on our feet in terms of judging audience reactions to figure out just how soon we should make a 2.0 version."

As of August 2018, Eros Now enjoys viewership from 100+ countries and further strengthening its global presence it will leverage its partnerships with leading international brands like Xiaomi Mi TV, Dialog Axiata and more, to present their original content across Asia and beyond.

With 11,000+ movie titles, music videos, television programming and more, Eros Now caters to 113 million registered users and 10.1 million paying subscribers worldwide with entertainment product features such as video in HD, multi-language subtitles, movie downloads, and high-quality original drama series.