{ "id": "ep22hz810b", "slug": "bombers", "title": "Bombers", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted", "label": "Unscripted, reality, and web-native series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native", "label": "Web-native and streaming-original series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.indian_southasian_webseries", "label": "Indian and South Asian web series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.indian_southasian_webseries" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.indian_southasian_webseries.yr-2003-2020", "label": "Premiered 2003 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.indian_southasian_webseries.yr-2003-2020" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native", "label": "India · 2001 to 2020: Web-native and streaming-original series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native", "path": [ { "id": "geo.ind", "label": "India", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2001", "label": "India · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted", "label": "Unscripted, reality, and web-native series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native", "label": "Web-native and streaming-original series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Bombers is a 2019 ZEE5 Original Hindi sports drama web series about Chandannagar football club Bombers FC, starring Varun Mitra, Ranvir Shorey, Aahana Kumra, and Anup Soni; not the 1998 History documentary on bomber aircraft.", "snippet": "Bombers is a 2019 ZEE5 Original Hindi sports drama web series about Chandannagar football club Bombers FC, starring Varun Mitra, Ranvir Shorey, Aahana Kumra, and Anup Soni; not the 1998 History documentary on bomber aircraft.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.indian_southasian_webseries.yr-2003-2020", "markdown": "# Bombers\n\n**Bombers** is an Indian Hindi-language sports drama web series produced as a ZEE5 Original, centered on the fictional football club Bombers FC of Chandannagar, West Bengal, and its attempt to rebuild after a fatal bus accident kills all but one of its players.[1](https://www.zee5.com/zee5originals/details/bombers/0-6-1776) Directed by Vishal Furia and written by Vishal Kapoor, it premiered on ZEE5 on 22 June 2019 as the platform's first sports drama series.[2](https://www.zee5.com/zee5news/zee5-original-web-series-bombers-review-a-promising-drama-about-football-phoenixes/) • [3](https://www.mapsofindia.com/my-india/web-series/zee5-series-bombers-review)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Platform and premiere | ZEE5 Original; first six episodes released 22 June 2019, season finale on 12 July 2019[1](https://www.zee5.com/zee5originals/details/bombers/0-6-1776) • [4](https://www.zee5.com/zee5news/zee5-original-football-web-series-bombers-finale-all-is-fair-in-love-and-war/) |\n| Format | 10 episodes of roughly 29 to 37 minutes; age rating UA[1](https://www.zee5.com/zee5originals/details/bombers/0-6-1776) • [5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/bombers) |\n| Setting | Chandannagar, a former French colony on the banks of the Hooghly river in West Bengal[2](https://www.zee5.com/zee5news/zee5-original-web-series-bombers-review-a-promising-drama-about-football-phoenixes/) |\n| Lead cast | Varun Mitra (Badol Roy), Ranvir Shorey (Debu), Aahana Kumra (Sanjana), Sapna Pabbi (Andy), Anup Soni (Manik Dasgupta), Zakir Hussain (Somu Da)[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10478670/fullcredits/) |\n| Crew | Directed by Vishal Furia and Rahul R. Pandya; written by Vishal Kapoor, with original story by Shantanu Ray Chhibber and Sheershak Anand; produced by Banijay Asia[2](https://www.zee5.com/zee5news/zee5-original-web-series-bombers-review-a-promising-drama-about-football-phoenixes/) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10478670/fullcredits/) |\n| Guest appearance | Indian footballer Sunil Chhetri in a special appearance[7](https://archive.adgully.com/zee5-to-launch-sports-drama-bombers-86377.html) |\n| Audience score | 7.4 on IMDb from 95 user ratings[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/bombers) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and plot\n\nThe series opens with a tragic bus accident that kills the players of Bombers FC, leaving the team's captain and most celebrated player, Badol Roy (Varun Mitra), as the sole survivor.[1](https://www.zee5.com/zee5originals/details/bombers/0-6-1776) Badol struggles with nightmares of the accident and plans to leave [Chandannagar](https://www.edgepedia.org/chandannagar) to join Mumbai Rangers, described in one review as the best football team in the country.[3](https://www.mapsofindia.com/my-india/web-series/zee5-series-bombers-review)\n\nThe accident creates an opening for Manik Dasgupta ([Anup Soni](https://www.edgepedia.org/anup-soni)), an urban development minister who announces a plan to take over the club's ground and build a shopping mall in its place.[1](https://www.zee5.com/zee5originals/details/bombers/0-6-1776) • [8](https://www.zee5.com/zeekannada/zee5-original-web-series-bombers-behind-the-scenes-stills-from-chandannagar-schedule-2/) The people of Chandannagore protest without success, and their hopes turn to Badol.[1](https://www.zee5.com/zee5originals/details/bombers/0-6-1776) Manik gives the club one chance: a challenge match against a team of his choosing, with five days to prepare.[1](https://www.zee5.com/zee5originals/details/bombers/0-6-1776)\n\nBadol returns and, with the club's owner Somu Da ([Zakir Hussain](https://www.edgepedia.org/zakir-hussain)) and the former Bombers player Debu ([Ranvir Shorey](https://www.edgepedia.org/ranvir-shorey)), who becomes the team's coach, recruits a new squad from unlikely candidates.[2](https://www.zee5.com/zee5news/zee5-original-web-series-bombers-review-a-promising-drama-about-football-phoenixes/) • [9](https://www.tring.co.in/celebrity-list/bombers) The recruits include Tokai (Meiyang Chang), a waiter; Toto (Shivam Patil), a petty thief and jailbird; Mithun (Ali Tahir); Shiva (Rohan Rai), the scion of a political party; and Arjun ([Danish Pandor](https://www.edgepedia.org/danish-pandor)), a courtesan's son from Sonagachi.[10](https://www.cinetalkers.com/review-of-zee5s-bombers-a-stirring-tale-of-guts-and-glory-set-around-the-fertile-football-fields/) After the challenge match arc, the team enters the Zee Bangla League, described in the episode guide as West Bengal's biggest football league, first playing for its ground and then for its pride.[1](https://www.zee5.com/zee5originals/details/bombers/0-6-1776)\n\nThe story is narrated through the lens of Andy (Sapna Pabbi), a documentary filmmaker revisiting what happened to Bombers FC, and includes a romantic thread between Badol and his girlfriend Sanjana (Aahana Kumra), who grows distant from him after the tragedy.[2](https://www.zee5.com/zee5news/zee5-original-web-series-bombers-review-a-promising-drama-about-football-phoenixes/)\n\n## Production\n\nZEE5 announced *Bombers* in 2019 as its entry into the sports drama genre, following originals such as *Rangbaaz*, *Abhay*, and *The Final Call*.[7](https://archive.adgully.com/zee5-to-launch-sports-drama-bombers-86377.html) The series was produced by Banijay Asia, with Sunil Chainani, Sameer Chand, and Deepak Dhar among the producers, and [Dushyant Singh](https://www.edgepedia.org/dushyant-singh) as ZEE5's producer.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10478670/fullcredits/) Alongside the launch, ZEE5 associated with the Oscar Foundation on \"Education with a Kick\", a program combining football and education for children from underprivileged backgrounds.[7](https://archive.adgully.com/zee5-to-launch-sports-drama-bombers-86377.html)\n\nThe show was shot in real locations in [West Bengal](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-bengal) and elsewhere.[11](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/interviews/2019/Jun/22/hope-our-show-inspires-people-to-preserve-grounds-varun-mitra-on-bombers-12465.html) In an interview at release, Varun Mitra said the location scouting revealed a shortage of maintained football grounds in small-town India, and expressed hope that the show would inspire people to create and preserve more grounds.[11](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/interviews/2019/Jun/22/hope-our-show-inspires-people-to-preserve-grounds-varun-mitra-on-bombers-12465.html) The series is set in Chandannagar, a city one review noted as the place where the French first introduced football in India.[12](https://www.indiaforums.com/article/review-zee5s-bombers-has-a-bombing-beginning-but-fizzles-in-keeping-up-the-pace_151844)\n\n## Reception\n\nCritical response was divided. The ZEE5 in-house review praised the ensemble, calling Ranvir Shorey a power-packed performer and noting that the actors were made convincing as sportsmen, while conceding that the transitions between past and present were not smooth and that some scenes could have been cut.[2](https://www.zee5.com/zee5news/zee5-original-web-series-bombers-review-a-promising-drama-about-football-phoenixes/) The *Indian Express* review by Ishita Sengupta was negative, describing the execution as predictable, the sub-plots as forced and extraneous, and the pacing as sluggish, concluding that the series told a familiar underdog story without earning the audience's attention.[13](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/bombers-review-zee5-5807211/)\n\nOn aggregators, the series holds a 7.4 rating on IMDb from 95 votes, and [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) listed it in the low thousands of its daily India streaming charts in 2026, with a historical peak of 429.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/bombers)\n\n## Availability\n\nThe series streams on ZEE5, with audio in Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu.[1](https://www.zee5.com/zee5originals/details/bombers/0-6-1776) JustWatch reported it also available on VI movies and tv, free with ads, and Moviefone listed it on Tubi in the United States.[5](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/bombers) • [14](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/bombers/EmEEOsYXysHSxar2L8Z1p2/where-to-watch/)\n\n## Other works of the same name\n\nA separate American documentary series also titled *Bombers* aired on the History channel, first released on February 2, 1998. It traces the evolution of the bomber plane from aviators throwing hand grenades to supersonic aircraft, and is rated TV-G.[15](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/bombers)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Bombers, ZEE5 Originals page](https://www.zee5.com/zee5originals/details/bombers/0-6-1776)\n2. [ZEE5 Original Web Series Bombers Review: A Promising Drama About Football Phoenixes, ZEE5 News (Aayushi Sharma, 24 June 2019)](https://www.zee5.com/zee5news/zee5-original-web-series-bombers-review-a-promising-drama-about-football-phoenixes/)\n3. [Zee5 Series 'Bombers' Review, Maps of India (21 August 2019)](https://www.mapsofindia.com/my-india/web-series/zee5-series-bombers-review)\n4. [ZEE5 Original Football Web Series Bombers Finale: All Is Fair In Love And War, ZEE5 News](https://www.zee5.com/zee5news/zee5-original-football-web-series-bombers-finale-all-is-fair-in-love-and-war/)\n5. [Bombers (2019), JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/bombers)\n6. [Bombers (2019) full cast and crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10478670/fullcredits/)\n7. [ZEE5 to launch sports drama 'Bombers', Adgully (2019)](https://archive.adgully.com/zee5-to-launch-sports-drama-bombers-86377.html)\n8. [ZEE5 Original Web Series Bombers: Behind-The-Scenes Stills From Chandannagar Schedule, ZEE5 News (13 June 2019)](https://www.zee5.com/zeekannada/zee5-original-web-series-bombers-behind-the-scenes-stills-from-chandannagar-schedule-2/)\n9. [Bombers web series: cast, plot, watch online, Tring](https://www.tring.co.in/celebrity-list/bombers)\n10. [Review of ZEE5's Bombers: A stirring tale of guts and glory, CineTalkers (29 June 2019)](https://www.cinetalkers.com/review-of-zee5s-bombers-a-stirring-tale-of-guts-and-glory-set-around-the-fertile-football-fields/)\n11. [Hope our show inspires people to preserve grounds: Varun Mitra on Bombers, Cinema Express (22 June 2019)](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/interviews/2019/Jun/22/hope-our-show-inspires-people-to-preserve-grounds-varun-mitra-on-bombers-12465.html)\n12. [Review: Zee5's Bombers has a bombing beginning but fizzles in keeping up the pace, India Forums (22 June 2019)](https://www.indiaforums.com/article/review-zee5s-bombers-has-a-bombing-beginning-but-fizzles-in-keeping-up-the-pace_151844)\n13. [Bombers review: An underdog story that suffers from sluggish pace and a predictable plot, The Indian Express (Ishita Sengupta, 30 June 2019)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/bombers-review-zee5-5807211/)\n14. [Bombers: Where to Watch, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/bombers/EmEEOsYXysHSxar2L8Z1p2/where-to-watch/)\n15. [Bombers, Rotten Tomatoes (History documentary, 1998)](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/bombers)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Indian and South Asian web series › Premiered 2003 to 2020*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/bombers", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/bombers.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Bombers\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/bombers. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Bombers](https://www.edgepedia.org/bombers)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/bombers](https://www.edgepedia.org/bombers). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Bombers\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/bombers. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Bombers is a 2019 ZEE5 Original Hindi sports drama web series about Chandannagar football club Bombers FC, starring Varun Mitra, Ranvir Shorey, Aahana Kumra, and Anup Soni; not the 1998 History documentary on bomber aircraft." }