JioHotstar to invest Rs 4,000 crore in South Indian content; Kamal Haasan cites Kantara, Pushpa to state ‘ethnic is the new international’

On the occasion, JioHotstar announced that its hit originals like Kerala Crime Files, Save The Tigers, Heart Beat, and Good Wife will get new seasons.

Kamal Haasan, Nagarjuna and Mohanlal at a star-studded event organised by JioHotstar in Chennai. (Credit: Instagram/@jiohotstar)

In a significant move aimed at making bigger inroads into the regional market, streaming giant JioHotstar has announced that it will invest Rs 4,000 crore over the next five years in the South Indian market. This decision not only demonstrates that the OTT platform’s ventures in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam languages have been successful, but also that it is set to go all in, locking horns with its major competitors.

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During a star-studded event in Chennai on Tuesday, which was attended by superstars Kamal Haasan, Nagarjuna and Mohanlal, and Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, among others, Sushant Sreeram, Head – SVOD Business & Chief Marketing Officer at JioStar, stated, “Earlier today, JioHotstar formalised a Letter of Intent with the Government of Tamil Nadu in the presence of the Chief Minister MK Stalin. This outlines a shared commitment to invest in talent, expand infrastructure and build a future-ready creative economy from the South,” news agency PTI reported.

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“As part of this vision, JioHotstar will invest Rs 4,000 crore to nurture creators, strengthen the production ecosystem and build a pipeline of stories that are ready for India and ready for the world,” he added. On the occasion, the OTT giant also unveiled the lineup of South Indian Hotstar specials it’s readying for 2026.

While addressing the gathering, Kamal remarked, as reported by Variety, “Today, stories are truly screen-agnostic. They travel with the viewer. 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.”

“A film rooted in coastal Karnataka’s folklore like Kantara can electrify the whole country. A Malayalam mystery like Drishyam, where an ordinary man outwits extraordinary power, crosses borders effortlessly. A Telugu saga like Baahubali or Pushpa becomes everyday vocabulary. From Mumbai to even Malaysia. And for Tamil Nadu, the relentless manhood of Vikram or the tender courage of Amaranth show that what truly travels is not budget but sincerity,” he added, according to Money Control.

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“The contribution of South India has created a new benchmark for Indian cinema. Today, everyone has a voice — a filmmaker in Madurai or Salem can upload a story and reach an audience across the world,” Udhayanidhi Stalin said. On the occasion, JioHotstar announced that its hit originals like Kerala Crime Files, Save The Tigers, Heart Beat, and Good Wife will get new seasons, while it will also unveil fresh ones such as Cousins and Kalyanams, Moodu Lantharlu, LBW – Love Beyond Wicket, Resort, Secret Stories: Roslin, Lingam and Vikram On Duty.

Revealing that Heart Beat generated over 100 million hours of watch time this year, JioHotstar’s executives also mentioned that Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra and Mirai became their most-watched movies in 2025.

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