Ekam on OTT: Rakshit Shetty’s Kannada web series gets a new streaming home

It took 4 years for the team of the Kannada web series Ekam to go from inception to bringing the final product to audiences – a journey that was quite the struggle for the makers. Although actor-filmmaker Rakshit Shetty’s Paramvah Studios was to produce the whole show, funds were tied up on other projects, forcing the team had to hustle and get other investors on board. Amid all this came the question – where will Ekam stream? And that found no answer, what with none of the mainstream platforms showing interest in Kannada content. They eventually released the show on a self-created platform on transactional video on demand (TVOD) basis, costing Rs 149.

Ekam gets a streaming partner; headed to...

The decision by platforms, back then, was not even based on the quality of the content – none of them watched it – but was rather on the fact that Kannada just wasn’t on their radar. This is pretty much the scene even now, with Zee5, however, making baby steps in 2025, and producing a bunch of shows, 3 of which – Ayyana Mane, Shodha and Maarigallu – came out. While the network has a few more lined up, including one produced by Kaatera and Elumale maker Tharun Sudhir, up next is an acquisition. Zee5 will host Ekam starting January 9, 2026, which will be available via OTTplay Premium as well.

Also read: Ekam Season 1 Karavali series review: 7 stories with varying, but decent impact 

Ekam, meanwhile, is a 7-story anthology capturing tales from the Karavali region, with Sandeep PS serving as showrunner along with Mithya maker Sumanth Bhat. The stories were written by Sumanth, as well as Satheesan Puthumana, Satyajit Rout, and Shashikanth Shetty. Direction duties for the 7 stories were split between Sumanth, Swaroop Elamon, Sanal Aman, Sankar Gangadharan and Vivek Vinod.

Also read: Ekam Kannada web series: Showrunner Sandeep PS says most OTT platforms rejected the show without watching it - 'That was completely...' 

Midhun Mukundan and Rahul Jigyasu served as composers, while the cast included the likes of Raj B Shetty, Prakash Raj, Shine Shetty, Mansi Sudhir, Basuma Kodagu, Pallavi Kodagu, Babu Annur, Prakash Thuminad, Suhan Shetty, Ujwal UV, among others.

Also read: Ekam showrunner Sandeep PS: Pitching show to OTTs taught me that they want content, but… 

Ekam FAQs

Q. When was Ekam first launched?

A. Ekam, the Kannada web series, was launched in 2020, with Rakshit Shetty onboard as producer. However, over time, other investors were brought onboard and by 2022, the team began looking for a streaming partner. When they could not find any even after two years, they launched their own platform, ekamtheseries.com and hosted it there at a rental of Rs 149 only in July 2024. 

Q. Where to watch Ekam?

A. Ekam will begin streaming on Zee5 (also via OTTplay Premium) from January 9, 2026.