Director Shankar took sci-fi spectacle to greater heights with ‘2.0’
”While the series suggests that ambiguity is an essential part of love, Padine believes uncertainty can be “annoying”. “Imperfection is what makes relationships real and meaningful. If love came with clear instructions, none of us would be confused all the time.”‘Nayanam’, the 2025 Telugu-language sci-fi web series, took a psychological angle. “It was challenging because Nayan’s journey moves through multiple emotional stages,” says lead actor Varun Sandesh. “Knowing truths that others can’t, he says, makes the character lonely, because he has no one to share them with. His curiosity begins in childhood, turns into an obsession, and once he uncovers certain truths, that knowledge leaves him restless and helpless. Though science fiction, it’s more about a person carrying a heavy burden. That’s why I chose to keep the performance restrained and subtle.” He adds that with so much information about anything and anyone online, there is a constant feeling of being watched, which makes Nayan’s character feel more relatable.“We view science fiction as a genre that is most effective when technology serves the narrative and deepens character arcs, rather than driving the story on its own,” says Raghavendra Hunsur, chief content officer at ZEEL. “Themes such as privacy, surveillance and emotional accountability resonate with audiences because they mirror reality. Our focus is to develop stories that are thought-led, culturally grounded, and aligned with how audience expectations are maturing across southern markets.
”(With inputs by Mahesh Ramesh)On the laugh track
- In ‘Indru Netru Naalai’ (2015), the hero and his friend misuse time travel and face repercussions
- In the comedy ‘Dikkilona’ (2021), the hero, a once-promising hockey player with bad luck, works as an EB employee, and discovers time travel in a science lab
- Songwriter Subu’s time-travel web series ‘Time Enna Boss’ (2020), about an IT professional sharing his home with people from four time periods, leaned into comedy and received mixed reviews
HITS AT THE BOX-OFFICE
- Maanaadu (2021) | Venkat Prabhu’s time-loop thriller broke away from familiar Kollywood templates. Its refrain, ‘vandhan suttan sethan, repeat-u!’ (he came, shot, died, repeat), quickly turned into meme material
- Mark Antony (2023) | Directed by Adhik Ravichandran, the film added a retro twist to the time-travel format, blending nostalgia with sci-fi action
- Ayalaan (2024) | Released after long delays, the film flipped the alien narrative by positioning the extraterrestrial as an ally rather than a threat, drawing children and women to theatres
Coming up 2026 may finally see the release of ‘Love Insurance Kompany’ (LIK), a Tamil-language science fiction film written and directed by Vignesh Shivan. Though set in 2040 and positioned as a science fiction film, it’s not being promoted for futuristic spectacle or technological awe. Instead, it’s being marketed as a rom-com, one that delves into relationships and love in a data-centric world
