ZEE5 announces Telugu original series ‘ATM’

ZEE5, India’s largest home-grown video streaming platform, kickstarted the new year announcing their next Telugu original ‘ATM’ today. Directed by Chandra Mohan C and produced by Dil Raju Productions, the 8 episodic series features VJ Sunny, Krishna Burugula, Ravi Raj, Prudhvi, Penmetsa Subbaraju, Roiel Shree, Divi, Divyavani, Shafi, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Seth in prominent roles. This crime heist drama will premiere on ZEE5 on January 20, 2023. 

With unexpected plot twists and fun aspects, ATM is a story that chronicles the life of Jagan, Karthik, Harsha & Abhay – 4 slum dwelling youth. Set in Hyderabad, these 4 slum dwellers resort to small-time robberies to survive. Until one such seemingly insignificant robbery lands them in the crosshairs of a dangerous gangster. Will they be able to escape the clutches of these power hungry corporator and save their families in grave danger?

ATM is a unique robbery tale which induces thrill and will manage to hold audience’s attention with its witty storyline.

Manish Kalra, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 India said, “We are elated to partner with the makers of AMT and platform a distinctive narrative for our audience. With a fusion of comedy, thrill, suspense and drama, this crime heist drama series will surely keep our viewers entertained. At ZEE5 we believe in catering to the sensibilities of the audiences in each region keeping in mind various cohorts and their tastes. ATM is a step in the same direction. Last year, we saw a great response from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana region and our endeavour will be to continue that.”

Anuradha Gudur, Chief Content Officer – Telugu, ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) said, “We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new show ‘ATM’, which is a riveting tale of survival and redemption, that is sure to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. This thrilling crime drama with compelling characters and a gripping storyline set up in Hyderabad, shines light on the dark side of the city. ATM marks one of ZEE5’s biggest association in the region as well as the iconic reunion of ace director Harish Shankar and Dil Raju Productions. We are confident that this all-new offering will be able to garner love and support from our audiences globally.”

Ms. Gudur further added, “With shows such as Oka Chinna Family Story, Loser 2, Gaalivaana, Recce, Aha Na Pellanta and Hello World receiving phenomenal response, we aspire to carry forward the momentum in 2023. We are committed to bringing forth extraordinary and unique stories, steadily diversifying our content library with a robust line-up of Telugu Originals. The year 2022 was marked by a strong uptick in OTT content consumption by Telugu-speaking audiences, we aim to capitalise on this huge potential, and grow our market presence significantly at a rapid pace.”

Showrunner Harish Shankar said, “As a director, I have always believed that this genre - heist drama series has a lot of scope to explore. The portrayal of enigmatic thieves in ATM will keep you on the edge of your seat. What sets it apart is its dexterous screenplay of over-dramatic scenes and sentimentalities. Without spilling much, I would like to call it a bold attempt blending comedy with a relentless game of cat and mouse. With ZEE5 onboard, we are confident the series will be watched by a large audience and enjoyed as well.”

Producer Harshith Reddy said, ““Harish Shankar garu first came up with this idea behind ATM. He narrated us an idea about 4 youngsters who involve in petty robberies are cornered by some powerful people and made to pull off a multi-crore heist just to stay alive. Did they successfully execute the heist? Did they do it just to save their lives or do they have any ulterior motives? Will the judiciary and the society declare them guilty or innocent? There are so many such layers to the story. The idea was really exciting for us, and it has all the Harish Shankar mark elements that people love. We then needed someone who can narrate this story in the best possible way on screen and that is when Harish garu suggested Chandra Mohan’s name to us and gave him the responsibility of telling this story. We then needed the right OTT platform to have ATM on board and then Zee5 came forward to collaborate with us on this. We have been keenly observing the OTT content across India and compared it with what is happening in the Telugu OTT space. We realised that there is a window for us to come up with something that changes the way things are made here in Telugu OTT and ATM is going to be exactly that.”

After multiple hits, showrunner Harish Shankar and Dil Raj productions are back with another terrific heist drama which will premiere on ZEE5 on January 20, 2023

Get ready to watch ‘ATM’ only on ZEE5!