The June 19 debut of Save The Tigers 3 on JioHotstar has electrified Telugu OTT audiences. Within days, the fantasy comedy series surged to viewership numbers that have made it a blockbuster. It now stands as the biggest digital performer yet in the southern market.
Showrunner Mahi V Raghav, who has been a feature film director, brings a rich and varied filmography to the table. He earlier helmed the horror-comedy Anando Brahma and the political biographical drama Yatra. That range helps him balance commercial punch with heartfelt storytelling. He has evolved from a traditional cinema director into a trailblazer of extended-format narratives.
India lacks a deep heritage of television series, Mahi noted recently. Without that foundation, building a mature OTT culture remains tough. Still, his production house Three Autumn Leaves refuses to follow old paths. The company hunts for fresh regional stories. "It crafts original intellectual properties instead of safe remakes. Innovative business approaches allow premium production values. These efforts create content that feels both grand and deeply local. Audiences respond instantly," a source says.
Sequels, by virtue of their carrying high expectations, smart under the shadow of earlier triumphs. STT3 thrived by riding its built-in momentum. Viewers returned in force. The first two seasons of Save The Tigers already proved Mahi's touch. The major consensus on the third season centers around the show's shift in genre. The central trio of Priyadarshi, Abhinav Gomatam, and Chaitanya Krishna continues to be heavily praised as the backbone of the series.
