How A COVID-Era Cybercrime Rabbit Hole Led Rajkumar Hirani To His OTT Debut Pritam & Pedro

Rajkumar Hirani’s hit OTT debut, Pritam & Pedro, continues to draw strong love from audiences months after its release. Directed by Avinash Arun and produced by Hirani, the cybercrime thriller-comedy features an ensemble cast led by Vikrant Massey, Arshad Warsi and Vir Hirani in key roles. Set against the backdrop of modern-day digital scams, the show balances sharp intelligence with Hirani’s signature emotional core and humour. After its release on OTT, the series opened to positive reviews from critics and viewers alike, who praised its engaging storytelling and topical relevance. While the show marked a new chapter in Hirani’s career, the idea behind it actually began quite by accident.

It all started during the COVID-19 pandemic when the filmmaker found himself reading about various online fraud cases. What began as casual reading quickly turned into a deep dive into the world of digital crime. To understand the reality behind these headlines, Hirani spent time interacting with cybercrime officials as well as ethical hackers in Mumbai and Delhi. The stories, methods, and sheer scale of what he uncovered were so eye-opening that he realized a standard two-hour film simply wouldn’t do justice to the subject.

Speaking about how the project took shape, Rajkumar Hirani says, “I didn’t intend to make a series, let alone make one about cybercrime. However, during the pandemic, I read about a lot of incidents and was fascinated by this world. After speaking to cybercrime officials and hackers in Mumbai and Delhi, I felt that the material couldn’t be contained within the limited duration of a film. It was this realization which led to Pritam & Pedro.”

That decision marked his formal entry into the world of long-form streaming content, and months after its release, Hirani is now actively working on the second season. Driven by its unique mix of cybercrime, comedy, and heart, Pritam & Pedro emerged as a massive success upon its release, becoming one of the most binge-watched shows on the platform and receiving widespread praise across multiple languages.