First look of Bhumi Pednekar's Prime Video show Daldal unveiled at IFFI; actor says, 'took months to come out of it'

STreaming serve ground picture on midweek unveiled the number one look of its upcoming psychological crime thriller Daldal at a special showcase during the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI).Daldal first look unveiledHeadlined by actor Bhumi Pednekar, the series is based on Vish Dhamija’s bestselling novel Bhendi Bazaar and follows Mumbai’s newly appointed DCP Rita Ferreira, whose pursuit of a brutal killer forces her into the city’s moral grey zones and compels her to confront buried memories.Daldal is created for series by Suresh Triveni and directed by Amrit Raj Gupta. It hails from production banner Abundantia Entertainment and also features Aditya Rawal and Samara Tijori.The first-look showcase included an exclusive teaser preview, followed by an in-conversation session, titled Beyond the Stereotype: Redefining Women and Power in Modern Storytelling.The session brought together Pednekkar, Triveni, the writing team, and Nikhil Madhok, director & head of originals at Prime Video India, to discuss the show’s exploration of female complexity and the platform’s broader approach to women-led narratives.Bhumi opens up on challenging characterPednekkar said her character Rita Ferreira's power lies in restraint."From the women in my home, I learned that power doesn't need to be loud. It can be quiet, resilient, and rooted in constantly questioning the world around you. That's something I saw my mother do every day, and something Rita does too. She doesn't say much, but she does a lot. If actions speak louder than words, I don't think there's a character who embodies that more than Rita Ferreira," the actor said.She said the character was among the most challenging roles of her career."For the first time, I didn't have dialogues or even expressive eyes to rely on. I had to communicate through the smallest physical cues: how her neck tightens with guilt or how her body responds to anger."It took months to come out of it. But it was also deeply satisfying because I was pushed, really pushed, by a team that believed in complexity, in darkness, in writing anti-hero traits for women. Very few characters like this get written for us," she added.Madhok said Prime Video is consciously expanding opportunities for women both on-screen and behind the scenes.“At Prime Video, our approach to female-driven storytelling is completely intentional. For decades, mainstream cinema centred the male hero, while television kept women confined to domestic narratives. Streaming allowed us to break that pattern,” he said.Producer Vikram Malhotra, founder & CEO of Abundantia Entertainment, said the company’s focus has always been on authentic stories rather than labels.“The moment you start boxing narratives as female-led or male-led, you defeat the purpose. Stories must connect universally. Historically, cinema has chosen sides while portraying women — entirely good or entirely bad. At Abundantia, we embrace nuance and emotional truth,” he said, pointing to the banner’s earlier projects such as Shakuntala Devi, Sherni and Jalsa. Daldal will premiere on Prime Video soon.