The Broken News First Look: Sonali Bendre to make OTT debut with Zee5 journalism drama

The first preview of Broken News is here. Zee5 has unveiled the poster for its Hindi-language adaptation of the British journalism series Press. This is the streaming platform’s first collaboration with BBC Studios India, the production and distribution arm of the BBC. The first look introduces us to the cast of The Broken News, starring Sonali Bendre, Jaideep Ahlawat and Shriya Pilgaonkar. The show marks Bendre’s debut on the subscription streaming service, colloquially known as OTT (over-the-top) services. Bendre said she chose The Broken News because the character resonated with her.

Bendre told Midday, “The first thing is that I liked the script, the character that I play (in The Broken News) and what the show says. It resonates! The second part is that I’m in a phase of life where it’s more about me, I have more time. I want to do a lot more and get back to work. Even if I had worked, it wasn’t the priority , now it is! There are so many fun things happening that I feel a little left out. Even I want to be a part of it too.

It remains to be seen whether The Broken News helps Bendre, who starred in popular Hindi films such as actor Aag and drama Zakhm in the 90s, start his new innings on a high.

Pilgaonkar and Ahlawat, on the other hand, are no strangers to the digital space. Pilgaonkar rose to fame when she played a key character in the action-packed series Mirzapur. Similarly, Ahlawat received critical acclaim for his work in crime drama Paatal Lok and went on to appear in Zee5 series Bloody Brothers. In addition to the main trio, The Broken News Cast includes Indraneil Sengupta, Taaruk Raina, Aakash Khurana and Kiran Kumar.

Not much is known about the story of The Broken News, but it can be expected to be a bit different from that featured in Press because, unlike the original – which dealt with print media – it explores the dark side of television media. Moreover, the plot is likely to be changed to appeal to Indian audiences.

The release date for Broken News has yet to be announced.