# 9 Hours
**9 Hours** (Telugu: 9 అవర్స్) is a 2022 Indian Telugu-language crime thriller web series in which three prisoners escape from Hyderabad Central Jail, attempt three bank robberies within nine hours, and must return to their cells before the next roll call. It was created and written by filmmaker Krish Jagarlamudi, directed by Niranjan Kaushik and Jacob Verghese, and released on [Disney+ Hotstar](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-hotstar) on 2 June 2022.[1](https://www.telugubulletin.com/9-hours-web-series-on-disney-plus-hotstar-159967) • [2](https://www.123telugu.com/reviews/ott-review-9-hours-telugu-web-series-on-hotstar.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | One season of nine episodes, each titled Hour 1 through Hour 9, running roughly 25 to 33 minutes[3](https://www.tataplaybinge.com/watch/shows/9-hours/17061) |
| Source | Adapted from the novel *Tommidi Gantalu* by Malladi Venkata Krishna Murthy, written in the 1980s[4](https://telanganatoday.com/9-hours-taraka-ratna-headlines-bank-heist-thriller-set-in-the-80s) |
| Setting | 1985, in pre-bifurcated Andhra Pradesh, with the heist centered on Koti Imperial Bank in Hyderabad[2](https://www.123telugu.com/reviews/ott-review-9-hours-telugu-web-series-on-hotstar.html) • [1](https://www.telugubulletin.com/9-hours-web-series-on-disney-plus-hotstar-159967) |
| Release | Direct-to-OTT premiere on Disney+ Hotstar, 2 June 2022[1](https://www.telugubulletin.com/9-hours-web-series-on-disney-plus-hotstar-159967) |
| Languages | Telugu original with dubs in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, and Bengali[3](https://www.tataplaybinge.com/watch/shows/9-hours/17061) |
| Age rating | U/A 16+[3](https://www.tataplaybinge.com/watch/shows/9-hours/17061) |
| IMDb rating | 6.0/10 from 462 votes[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20836266/ratings/) |
| Current streaming | JioHotstar and VI movies and tv in India; Hulu in the United States[6](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/9-hours) • [7](https://onlytech.com/9-hours-review-a-sublime-premise-marred-by-creative-choices/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and structure
The plot begins at dawn with a jail breakout. Three inmates of Hyderabad's Central Jail escape and split into three teams to rob three banks, planning to return to prison before anyone notices they are gone.[4](https://telanganatoday.com/9-hours-taraka-ratna-headlines-bank-heist-thriller-set-in-the-80s) • [8](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/9-hours/season-1) Two teams carry out their heists successfully, but the third robbery turns into chaos, and the robbers take bank employees hostage, threatening to kill them if police act.[2](https://www.123telugu.com/reviews/ott-review-9-hours-telugu-web-series-on-hotstar.html) A short-tempered police officer, Circle Inspector Prathap, played by [Taraka Ratna](https://www.edgepedia.org/taraka-ratna), enters the scene and tries to control the situation.[4](https://telanganatoday.com/9-hours-taraka-ratna-headlines-bank-heist-thriller-set-in-the-80s)
**The hour-by-hour device.** Each of the nine episodes corresponds to one hour of the day, starting in the morning, and summarizes what happens during that hour rather than running a full hour of screen time.[9](https://www.ottplay.com/interview/exclusive-taraka-ratna-on-9-hours-im-happy-directors-that-like-krish-are-still-thinking-about-me-while-writing-characters/d6363bf6ff940) Director Jacob Verghese said the fixed time frame for each episode helps build tension, and that the 1980s setting allowed creative choices such as restricting characters to landline telephones for communication, which in turn enabled plot twists.[10](https://silverscreenindia.com/streaming/news/9-hours-disney-hotstars-action-thriller-series-revolves-around-a-bank-heist-in-the-80s/)
A hidden layer drives the plot: the jailer Vishwanath, played by Vinod Kumar, is desperate to settle a debt of Rs 2 million (Rs 20 lakh) and gives a prisoner the nod to execute a bank robbery, on the condition that the robbers return to jail before roll call.[11](https://www.ottplay.com/review/9-hours-review-a-winsome-layered-crime-thriller-bolstered-by-impressive-writing-and-performances/9417549541455) The synopsis also poses the question of whether someone is handling the prisoners from behind the scenes.[6](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/9-hours)
## Source novel and period setting
The series is based on *Tommidi Gantalu* ("Nine Hours"), a fictional novel by the Telugu writer Malladi Venkata Krishna Murthy written in the 1980s, and the adaptation keeps the story in that same period rather than updating it.[4](https://telanganatoday.com/9-hours-taraka-ratna-headlines-bank-heist-thriller-set-in-the-80s) • [12](https://www.telugu360.com/te/9-hours-web-series-review/) Reviewers noted that the production design, costumes, and visuals recreate 1980s culture convincingly, with the bank set and period detail singled out for praise.[2](https://www.123telugu.com/reviews/ott-review-9-hours-telugu-web-series-on-hotstar.html) The OTTplay review credited creator Krish Jagarlamudi with reintroducing Telugu literature to a new generation through adaptations of this kind.[11](https://www.ottplay.com/review/9-hours-review-a-winsome-layered-crime-thriller-bolstered-by-impressive-writing-and-performances/9417549541455)
## Cast and crew
The series has no single lead. Taraka Ratna, in his digital debut, plays Circle Inspector Prathap; Ajay plays Dasarath; [Madhu Shalini](https://www.edgepedia.org/madhu-shalini) plays the journalist [Chitralekha](https://www.edgepedia.org/chitralekha); Vinod Kumar plays the jailer Vishwanath; and the ensemble includes Ravi Varma as Nagendra, Preethi Asrani as Shravani, Ankith Koyya as Nandu, Jwala Koti, Monica Reddy, and Shri Tej.[6](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/9-hours) • [9](https://www.ottplay.com/interview/exclusive-taraka-ratna-on-9-hours-im-happy-directors-that-like-krish-are-still-thinking-about-me-while-writing-characters/d6363bf6ff940) Madhu Shalini described her character as an uncompromising reporter present at the crime scene, in an era when it was taboo for women to work in the media.[13](https://southindianactress.in/madhu-shalini-stills-at-9-hours-web-series-interview/)
Krish Jagarlamudi (Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi) created and wrote the series and produced it with Rajeev Reddy Y. and Sai Babu Jagarlamudi under First Frame Entertainments.[2](https://www.123telugu.com/reviews/ott-review-9-hours-telugu-web-series-on-hotstar.html) • [14](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/9-hours-web-series-109284) Shakthi Kanth Karthick composed the music and Manoj Reddy was the cinematographer.[2](https://www.123telugu.com/reviews/ott-review-9-hours-telugu-web-series-on-hotstar.html) Verghese said directing someone else's script was a first for him in the Indian industry, where directors usually write their own material.[10](https://silverscreenindia.com/streaming/news/9-hours-disney-hotstars-action-thriller-series-revolves-around-a-bank-heist-in-the-80s/)
## Reception
Critical response was mixed to moderately positive. The Times of India gave season 1 a 3.0 critic rating, calling it a tightly wound narrative that keeps viewers engaged for the most part.[15](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/telugu/9-hours/season-1/amp_seasonreview/91936388.cms) OTTplay rated it 3/5 and praised the writing, performances, and technical work.[11](https://www.ottplay.com/review/9-hours-review-a-winsome-layered-crime-thriller-bolstered-by-impressive-writing-and-performances/9417549541455) 123telugu rated it 2.75/5, arguing the story could have ended in seven episodes rather than nine and that some backstories were unnecessary.[2](https://www.123telugu.com/reviews/ott-review-9-hours-telugu-web-series-on-hotstar.html) On IMDb the series holds a 6.0/10 rating from 462 votes, with episode-level ratings ranging from 6.0 to 7.6.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20836266/ratings/)
Reviewers commonly highlighted the hostage drama and suspense building as strengths and the stretched runtime as the main weakness.[2](https://www.123telugu.com/reviews/ott-review-9-hours-telugu-web-series-on-hotstar.html) • [4](https://telanganatoday.com/9-hours-taraka-ratna-headlines-bank-heist-thriller-set-in-the-80s) The Telangana Today review noted that the series has no particular hero, heroine, or antagonist, and that the realistic setting and production design add to its appeal.[4](https://telanganatoday.com/9-hours-taraka-ratna-headlines-bank-heist-thriller-set-in-the-80s)
## Availability
The series premiered on Disney+ Hotstar (now JioHotstar) in India on 2 June 2022 and is currently streaming on JioHotstar and VI movies and tv.[1](https://www.telugubulletin.com/9-hours-web-series-on-disney-plus-hotstar-159967) • [6](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/9-hours) It is also available on Hulu in the United States.[7](https://onlytech.com/9-hours-review-a-sublime-premise-marred-by-creative-choices/) JustWatch reported the title available in India and Egypt, with no streaming options in the United States on the services it tracks there.[16](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/9-hours)
## References
1. [9 Hours Web Series: Watchable crime thriller, TeluguBulletin](https://www.telugubulletin.com/9-hours-web-series-on-disney-plus-hotstar-159967)
2. [OTT Review: 9 Hours – Telugu web series on Hotstar, 123telugu](https://www.123telugu.com/reviews/ott-review-9-hours-telugu-web-series-on-hotstar.html)
3. [Watch 9 Hours Online All Episodes in HD on Tata Play Binge](https://www.tataplaybinge.com/watch/shows/9-hours/17061)
4. ['9 Hours': Taraka Ratna headlines bank heist thriller set in the '80s, Telangana Today](https://telanganatoday.com/9-hours-taraka-ratna-headlines-bank-heist-thriller-set-in-the-80s)
5. [9 Hours Created by Krish Jagarlamudi – Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20836266/ratings/)
6. [9 Hours – watch tv show streaming online, JustWatch (India)](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/9-hours)
7. [9 Hours Review: A sublime premise marred by creative choices, OnlyTech](https://onlytech.com/9-hours-review-a-sublime-premise-marred-by-creative-choices/)
8. [9 Hours Season 1 – watch full episodes streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/9-hours/season-1)
9. [Exclusive! Taraka Ratna on 9 Hours, OTTplay](https://www.ottplay.com/interview/exclusive-taraka-ratna-on-9-hours-im-happy-directors-that-like-krish-are-still-thinking-about-me-while-writing-characters/d6363bf6ff940)
10. ['9 Hours': Disney+ Hotstar's Action Thriller Series Revolves Around a Bank Heist in the 80s, Silverscreen India](https://silverscreenindia.com/streaming/news/9-hours-disney-hotstars-action-thriller-series-revolves-around-a-bank-heist-in-the-80s/)
11. [9 Hours review: A winsome, layered crime thriller, OTTplay](https://www.ottplay.com/review/9-hours-review-a-winsome-layered-crime-thriller-bolstered-by-impressive-writing-and-performances/9417549541455)
12. [రివ్యూ : '9 అవర్స్' వెబ్ సిరిస్, Telugu360](https://www.telugu360.com/te/9-hours-web-series-review/)
13. [Madhu Shalini stills at 9 Hours Web Series Interview, South Indian Actress](https://southindianactress.in/madhu-shalini-stills-at-9-hours-web-series-interview/)
14. [9 Hours Web Series (2022) | Release Date, Review, Cast, Trailer, Gadgets 360](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/9-hours-web-series-109284)
15. [9 Hours Season 1 Review: Good story aided by a stellar cast, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/telugu/9-hours/season-1/amp_seasonreview/91936388.cms)
16. [9 Hours – watch tv show streaming online, JustWatch (US)](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/9-hours)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › South and Southeast Asian serials › Telugu serials*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license