# Auto Shankar (2019 TV series)
*Auto Shankar* is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language crime thriller web series streamed on ZEE5, based on the life of the Chennai auto driver and convicted murderer Gowri Shankar, known as [Auto Shankar](https://www.edgepedia.org/auto-shankar). It premiered on 23 April 2019 with ten episodes of roughly 30 minutes each, directed by Ranga and starring Sarath Appani in the title role.[1](https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/zee5-premieres-new-tamil-original-series-auto-shankar-for-its-global-audiences-877948984.html) • [2](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/auto-shankar/0-6-1593)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Platform and premiere | ZEE5 Tamil Original, released 23 April 2019[1](https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/zee5-premieres-new-tamil-original-series-auto-shankar-for-its-global-audiences-877948984.html) |
| Format | One season, 10 episodes of about 24 to 37 minutes each[2](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/auto-shankar/0-6-1593) |
| Subject | Gowri Shankar, an auto driver from Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai, hanged for murdering six people in the 1980s[3](https://scroll.in/reel/919840/why-chennai-serial-killer-auto-shankar-is-getting-the-web-series-treatment) |
| Lead cast | Sarath Appani (Shankar), with Selvapandian, Rajesh Dev, Vasudha, Swayam, Saranya Ravi, and Arjun Chidambaram[2](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/auto-shankar/0-6-1593) • [4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/tamil/2019/Apr/23/auto-shankar-review-an-effective-profanity-laced-retelling-11194.html) |
| Key crew | Director Ranga; writer Mani G (Maniji); producer and cinematographer Manoj Paramahamsa; music by Arrol Corelli[5](https://www.zee5.com/global/blog/auto-shankar-watch-fear-and-ambition-take-over-the-streets-of-madras/) • [3](https://scroll.in/reel/919840/why-chennai-serial-killer-auto-shankar-is-getting-the-web-series-treatment) • [6](https://filmyfocus.com/web-series/auto-shankar) |
| Age rating | A (adults only), for violence, strong language, sexual situations, and criminal themes[5](https://www.zee5.com/global/blog/auto-shankar-watch-fear-and-ambition-take-over-the-streets-of-madras/) |
| Reception | IMDb rating 6.7/10 from 420 votes; won Best Web Series in a Regional Language at the 2019 MTV IWMBuzz Digital Awards[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10230036/) • [5](https://www.zee5.com/global/blog/auto-shankar-watch-fear-and-ambition-take-over-the-streets-of-madras/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and episodes
The ten episodes trace Shankar's rise and fall through titles such as "The Awakening," "The Power Game," "The Rise of the Demon," "The Wolf Hunter," "The Seed of Chaos," "The Balancing," "Clean Slate," "Fall of the Demon," "The Rebirth," and "The Conclusion."[2](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/auto-shankar/0-6-1593) In the story, Shankar starts as a small-time smuggler who challenges his bootlegging boss Ramajayam, guided by the police officer Kathiravan, and takes over the city's illicit liquor and brothel business.[2](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/auto-shankar/0-6-1593) He falls in love with the cabaret dancer Chandrika (Swayam) while ill-treating his wife Sumathi (Saranya Ravi), commits murders and buries the bodies in his house, escapes from prison with help from fellow inmates, flees to Odisha, and is eventually caught and returned to prison, where he meets his fate.[2](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/auto-shankar/0-6-1593)
ZEE5's blog describes the series as using dramatized characters and situations inspired by incidents associated with the real Gowri Shankar, giving it the tension of a gangster drama without presenting every scene as documented history.[5](https://www.zee5.com/global/blog/auto-shankar-watch-fear-and-ambition-take-over-the-streets-of-madras/) The News Minute similarly characterizes it as part fiction inspired by legends about the man and part based on facts collected from the investigation that led to his capture.[10](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/auto-shankar-review-intriguing-tamil-web-series-built-sordid-story-101001)
## Background and subject
The series dramatizes the story of Gowri Shankar, an auto-rickshaw driver from the Thiruvanmiyur neighborhood of Chennai who ran illicit arrack and prostitution rackets and was hanged for murdering six people in the 1980s.[3](https://scroll.in/reel/919840/why-chennai-serial-killer-auto-shankar-is-getting-the-web-series-treatment) ZEE5's press release describes him as one of Chennai's most notorious criminals, noting that the bodies of his victims were either burnt or buried inside residential houses, and that he was captured in 1995 after a manhunt.[1](https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/zee5-premieres-new-tamil-original-series-auto-shankar-for-its-global-audiences-877948984.html) ZEE5's own listing frames the story as based on true incidents that occurred between 1985 and 1995 in Chennai, remembered as "Once upon a time in Madras."[2](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/auto-shankar/0-6-1593)
The real Shankar's life had already inspired television shows and the 1990 Tamil film *Pulan Visaranai* before the web series was made.[3](https://scroll.in/reel/919840/why-chennai-serial-killer-auto-shankar-is-getting-the-web-series-treatment)
## Production
The idea came from a brainstorming session between producer and cinematographer Manoj Paramahamsa and Suriya Narayanan, the South Head of original content at ZEE5. "Auto Shankar is the first name that pops up when you think about crime in Chennai," Paramahamsa told Scroll.in.[3](https://scroll.in/reel/919840/why-chennai-serial-killer-auto-shankar-is-getting-the-web-series-treatment) The series was produced by Trident Arts and Paramahamsa's Baby Shoe Productions.[1](https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/zee5-premieres-new-tamil-original-series-auto-shankar-for-its-global-audiences-877948984.html)
**Research and approach.** As part of the research, the production team obtained a no-objection certificate from Shankar's family and spoke to his friends and neighbors, including associates who were still in jail and interviewed while out on parole. Paramahamsa said some of them still kept Shankar's photo framed in their houses, but the team took conscious efforts not to glorify his acts.[3](https://scroll.in/reel/919840/why-chennai-serial-killer-auto-shankar-is-getting-the-web-series-treatment) The series was written by Maniji (Mani G), a blogger who had closely followed Shankar's life, and directed by Ranga, for whom it was a debut as a director.[3](https://scroll.in/reel/919840/why-chennai-serial-killer-auto-shankar-is-getting-the-web-series-treatment) • [8](https://www.thenewsminute.com/amp/story/flix/theres-no-need-sanitised-version-auto-shankars-story-director-ranga-tnm-100814)
**Narrative structure.** The series tells Shankar's life in a non-linear fashion, beginning with the thoughts that flash through his mind minutes before he is hanged. Paramahamsa said the makers did not want to tell the story with a voiceover or from the point of view of the police.[3](https://scroll.in/reel/919840/why-chennai-serial-killer-auto-shankar-is-getting-the-web-series-treatment) The Firstpost review notes that the opening uses a match cut from the executioner pulling the lever to Shankar pulling the lever of his auto rickshaw.[9](https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/serial-chiller-web-series-auto-shankar-although-engaging-in-parts-ultimately-disappoints-6545171.html)
## Cast
Sarath Appani, previously known for *Angamaly Diaries*, *Chekka Chivantha Vaanam*, and *Odiyan*, plays Shankar; his dialogue was dubbed with the voice of Paval Navageethan, known for *Vada Chennai*.[1](https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/zee5-premieres-new-tamil-original-series-auto-shankar-for-its-global-audiences-877948984.html) • [4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/tamil/2019/Apr/23/auto-shankar-review-an-effective-profanity-laced-retelling-11194.html) The cast includes Arjun Chidambaram as the manipulative police officer Kathiravan, Swayam as Chandrika, Saranya Ravi as Sumathi, and Selvapandian, Rajesh Dev, and Vasudha in other roles.[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/tamil/2019/Apr/23/auto-shankar-review-an-effective-profanity-laced-retelling-11194.html) • [2](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/auto-shankar/0-6-1593)
## Reception
The Cinema Express review rated the series 3 out of 5, calling it an effective, profanity-laced retelling that pushes the boundaries of censorship, and praising the casting and the technical work, particularly the cinematography and Arrol Corelli's ominous Shankar theme music.[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/tamil/2019/Apr/23/auto-shankar-review-an-effective-profanity-laced-retelling-11194.html) The News Minute found the series intriguing chiefly for Sarath's performance and Swayam's presence, but criticized limited story arcs for the other characters and the near-absence of dissenting voices among the women in Shankar's world, concluding that with better writing it could have been a truly mature series.[10](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/auto-shankar-review-intriguing-tamil-web-series-built-sordid-story-101001) Firstpost judged that the series raised the bar for Tamil original web series but was ultimately disappointing, giving viewers too much time to step away.[9](https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/serial-chiller-web-series-auto-shankar-although-engaging-in-parts-ultimately-disappoints-6545171.html) The Times of India gave the season 3.0 stars, calling it a cut above most Tamil web series at least as far as filmmaking is concerned.[11](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/tamil/auto-shankar/amp_seasonreview/76198442.cms)
On IMDb the series holds a rating of 6.7 out of 10 from 420 votes.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10230036/) It won the Best Web Series in a Regional Language award at the 2019 MTV IWMBuzz Digital Awards.[5](https://www.zee5.com/global/blog/auto-shankar-watch-fear-and-ambition-take-over-the-streets-of-madras/)
## Availability
The original audio is Tamil, with dubs available in Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, and Telugu, and English subtitles.[2](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/auto-shankar/0-6-1593) • [5](https://www.zee5.com/global/blog/auto-shankar-watch-fear-and-ambition-take-over-the-streets-of-madras/) As of the most recent checks, the series streams on ZEE5 and VI movies and tv, including free-with-ads options on both platforms.[12](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/auto-shankar)
## References
1. [ZEE5 Premieres New Tamil Original Series 'Auto Shankar' for its Global Audiences, PR Newswire](https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/zee5-premieres-new-tamil-original-series-auto-shankar-for-its-global-audiences-877948984.html)
2. [Auto Shankar, ZEE5 series page](https://www.zee5.com/global/web-series/details/auto-shankar/0-6-1593)
3. [Why Chennai serial killer Auto Shankar is getting the web series treatment, Scroll.in](https://scroll.in/reel/919840/why-chennai-serial-killer-auto-shankar-is-getting-the-web-series-treatment)
4. [Auto Shankar Review: An effective, profanity-laced retelling, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/tamil/2019/Apr/23/auto-shankar-review-an-effective-profanity-laced-retelling-11194.html)
5. [Auto Shankar: Watch Fear and Ambition Take Over the Streets of Madras, ZEE5 Blog](https://www.zee5.com/global/blog/auto-shankar-watch-fear-and-ambition-take-over-the-streets-of-madras/)
6. [Auto Shankar: Cast, Crew, Review, Release Date, Trailer, Filmy Focus](https://filmyfocus.com/web-series/auto-shankar)
7. [Auto Shankar (TV Series 2019), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10230036/)
8. [There's no need for a sanitised version of Auto Shankar's story: Director Ranga to TNM, The News Minute](https://www.thenewsminute.com/amp/story/flix/theres-no-need-sanitised-version-auto-shankars-story-director-ranga-tnm-100814)
9. [Serial Chiller: Web series Auto Shankar, although engaging in parts, ultimately disappoints, Firstpost](https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/serial-chiller-web-series-auto-shankar-although-engaging-in-parts-ultimately-disappoints-6545171.html)
10. ['Auto Shankar' review: An intriguing Tamil web series built on a sordid story, The News Minute](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/auto-shankar-review-intriguing-tamil-web-series-built-sordid-story-101001)
11. [Auto Shankar Season 1 Review, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/tamil/auto-shankar/amp_seasonreview/76198442.cms)
12. [Auto Shankar - watch tv show streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/auto-shankar)
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*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*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license