Pawan Kumar on doing Shodha: The web series space offers far more creative freedom

Kannada actor-director Pawan Kumar takes on the responsibility of leading man in the suspense thriller series Shodha , which drops on Z5 (also via OTTplay Premium) on August 29, 2025. Pawan has also been credited as script doctor, having collaborated with writer Suhas Navarathna and director Sunil Mysuru in tweaking the narrative and taking it to another level.

Pawan is no stranger to the web series genre, having directed a Hindi show (Leila) and one in Telugu (Kudi Yedamaithe) and became a part of Shodha as soon as the offer came in, primarily because of the disinterest major streaming platforms have shown towards Kannada content. Pawan, though, was approached as an actor, which he took up because he liked that the character was not one-dimensional and had grey areas.

Pawan Kumar: Web series is a challenging way to create content

But more importantly, Pawan says that the creative freedom that the web space offers one is what drew him to the project, as it is not bound by the box office limitations of cinema. Also, now that Z5 has opened the door for Kannada content, he felt that creators, directors and writers should collaborate more and if at least 5 shows then work with audiences it will create a new stream, which will create opportunities for a lot of new talent across departments. Somebody had to take that initiative and that turned out to be Pawan with Shodha.

Also read: Shodha on OTT: Pawan Kumar-led suspense thriller the remake of THIS Hindi series? 

The challenge with a series, though, he says, is in keeping audiences hooked for the 15-20 minutes run-time of an episode, which then prompts them to stay put for the rest of the narrative as well. “It’s a very challenging way to create content. With cinema, once you’ve bought a ticket, you are committed to staying in the hall for the duration of the movie. But with a series, you have the choice to turn it off or scroll to some other content, if you don’t like it. As a creator, it is a very interesting space,” said Pawan in conversation with Vishwavani TV.

FAQs

Q. Who is the director of Shodha?

A. Sunil Mysuru, who made the Kannada film Orchestra Mysuru earlier, is the director of Shodha.

Q. When and where will Shodha stream?

A. The 6-episode Shodha is coming to Z5 on August 29. It is a suspense thriller with Pawan Kumar in the lead.

Q. Who is on the cast of Shodha?

A. Shodha stars Pawan Kumar, Siri Ravikumar, Arun Sagar, Anusha Ranganath and Saptami Gowda, among others.