ZEE5 announces Black Widows remake for India
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Editor
| 11 June 2020
In what will become the eighth international version of the scripted format, NENT Studios UK has struck a two-season deal with India’s largest video streaming platform ZEE5 and producer Big Synergy Media for a localised version of Black Widows created for Indian audiences.
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Based on the Finnish drama of the same name, Black Widows was created by Roope Lehtinen and Mikko Polla (now of Fire Monkey, then Moskito) for Finnish broadcaster Nelonen.

The drama tells a darkly comic story of three best friends who try to kill their husbands. It doesn’t all quite go to plan; one of the men survives and looks set on revenge. The women’s friendship and mutual trust are then put to the test as their lives get ever more The ZEE5 and producer Big Synergy Media deal includes the rights for the two original 12-hour series (24 episodes). The Indian version follows versions in Ukraine, Estonia, Lithuania, the Middle East, Mexico, Scandinavia and the Czech Republic.

Black Widows is due to premiere on ZEE5 later in 2020. It will be produced by Namit Sharma and Big Synergy Media.

“Our aim is to continue to offer consumers content that is real, relevant and relatable,” commented ZEE5 India CEO Tarun Katial. “Black Widows is an engaging story featuring strong female protagonists, plenty of suspense, and a large dose of dark humour. We could immediately see its appeal for Indian audiences and found credible partners in NENT Studios UK and Big Synergy Media. I am certain that this could prove to be a hugely popular, binge-worthy series when it launches later this year.”

Jess Khanom, SVP APAC sales at NENT Studios UK, added: “With its universally relatable themes, intrigue and focus on female relationships, ‘Black Widows’ is a contemporary scripted format that continually proves itself to be readily adaptable. ZEE5 and Big Synergy Media have exciting plans for this production, and we cannot wait to see how Indian viewers respond to a fresh new version, complete with local sensibilities and cultural references.”