# The Secret of the Shiledars
**The Secret of the Shiledars** is a 2025 Indian Hindi-language action-mystery streaming series about a secret society that has guarded a hidden treasure of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj for generations, and the history buff who is drawn into their quest. All six episodes were released on January 31, 2025 on [Disney+ Hotstar](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-hotstar) (later JioHotstar), with the show directed by Aditya Sarpotdar and produced by Dashami Creations.[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/the-secret-of-the-shiledars-web-series-130275) • [2](https://www.ottplay.com/news/the-secret-of-the-shiledars-ott-release-date-rajeev-khandelwal-sai-tamhankar-disney-hotstar/ce964fdb34734) It is an adaptation of Dr Prakash Suryakant Koyade's Marathi historical fiction novel *Pratipashchandra*.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33083754)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original release | January 31, 2025, all six episodes on Disney+ Hotstar (JioHotstar)[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/the-secret-of-the-shiledars-web-series-130275) |
| Format | 6 episodes of 30 to 42 minutes each; total runtime about 3 hours 30 minutes[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/the-secret-of-the-shiledars-web-series-130275) • [4](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/web-series/the-secret-of-the-shiledars) |
| Director | Aditya Sarpotdar, following his film *Munjya*[2](https://www.ottplay.com/news/the-secret-of-the-shiledars-ott-release-date-rajeev-khandelwal-sai-tamhankar-disney-hotstar/ce964fdb34734) |
| Source | Adaptation of Prakash Suryakant Koyade's Marathi novel *Pratipashchandra*[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33083754) |
| Lead cast | Rajeev Khandelwal, Sai Tamhankar, Gaurav Amlani, Ashish Vidyarthi, Dilip Prabhavalkar[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33083754) |
| Reception | IMDb rating 6.8/10 from about 2,100 users[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33083754) |
| Availability | JioHotstar in India; Hulu in the United States[5](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/the-secret-of-the-shiledars/season-1) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
The series follows Dr. Ravi Bhatt ([Rajeev Khandelwal](https://www.edgepedia.org/rajeev-khandelwal)), a doctor and history enthusiast whose chance meeting with a judge changes the course of his life. The judge, a member of a secret society, had been searching for the next shiledar, or soldier, and finds him in Ravi.[6](https://scroll.in/reel/1078624/the-secret-of-the-shiledars-review-an-amateurish-hunt-for-shivajis-hidden-treasure/) In the show's premise, after the Mughal-Maratha war the Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj placed his most valuable belongings, including his golden throne, in the care of a secret order called the Shiledars, soldiers tasked with protecting the treasure for the generations that followed.[7](https://www.ottplay.com/features/the-secrets-of-the-shiledars-is-a-map-to-nowhere/7413189571836)
Ravi is joined in the treasure hunt by his brother Aditya (Gaurav Amlani), the judge's assistant Priyali ([Sai Tamhankar](https://www.edgepedia.org/sai-tamhankar)), and the Shivaji expert Chandrarao ([Ashish Vidyarthi](https://www.edgepedia.org/ashish-vidyarthi)). Their antagonist is Ramachandran (Kanan Arunachalam), the governor of [Maharashtra](https://www.edgepedia.org/maharashtra), who sets his goons on the society to track down Shivaji's heirlooms.[6](https://scroll.in/reel/1078624/the-secret-of-the-shiledars-review-an-amateurish-hunt-for-shivajis-hidden-treasure/) The hunt moves through historical sites, hidden tunnels, and coded clues, with the heroes becoming fugitives along the way.[8](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-sg/browse/entity-690d08f2-b442-4f48-8734-28a72049cfbc)
### Episodes
All six episodes were released on the same day, January 31, 2025.[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/the-secret-of-the-shiledars-web-series-130275)
1. **The Beckoning** (30 min): Dr. Ravi's encounter with the judge implicates him in a crime.[8](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-sg/browse/entity-690d08f2-b442-4f48-8734-28a72049cfbc)
2. **The Secret** (41 min): Ravi, Aditya, and Priyal embark on a quest for a hidden secret.[8](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-sg/browse/entity-690d08f2-b442-4f48-8734-28a72049cfbc)
3. **The Lineage** (36 min): Ravi decodes clues and finds a cryptic box despite losing a friend.[8](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-sg/browse/entity-690d08f2-b442-4f48-8734-28a72049cfbc)
4. **The Code** (42 min): Ravi and his friends become fugitives as they seek a historian's help.[8](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-sg/browse/entity-690d08f2-b442-4f48-8734-28a72049cfbc)
5. **The Treasure** (34 min): Ravi and Pratap find a treasure but realize it is not the real one.[8](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-sg/browse/entity-690d08f2-b442-4f48-8734-28a72049cfbc)
6. **Pride and Honour** (30 min): the season finale, asking whether Ravi is the true Shiledar who can find the treasure.[8](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-sg/browse/entity-690d08f2-b442-4f48-8734-28a72049cfbc)
## Production
Aditya Sarpotdar directed the series immediately after wrapping his film *Munjya*; actor Gaurav Amlani, who plays Aditya, credited his earlier work on the television show *Punyashlok Ahilyabai* for the producers Dashami Creations recommending him, followed by an audition for the director, the creative team, and Hotstar.[9](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/exclusive-gaurav-amlani-bagging-secret-shiledars-due-stint-punyashlok-ahilyabai-literally-cut-off-social-personal-life-show/) Amlani described a 45-day shoot in difficult locations, including scenes shot on mountains from 5:30 am, and said he performed a cliff-hanging scene himself despite a fear of heights.[9](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/exclusive-gaurav-amlani-bagging-secret-shiledars-due-stint-punyashlok-ahilyabai-literally-cut-off-social-personal-life-show/) Sarpotdar, who is Maharashtrian, said the subject was especially close to his heart.[10](https://pynr.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/21-VJA-12-PAGES-PDF.compressed.pdf)
The screenplay is credited to Bijesh Jayarajan,[6](https://scroll.in/reel/1078624/the-secret-of-the-shiledars-review-an-amateurish-hunt-for-shivajis-hidden-treasure/) while Gadgets360 lists Tushar Ajgaonkar as writer, with cinematography by Sukesh Viswanath.[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/the-secret-of-the-shiledars-web-series-130275) The series was shot in Hindi and dubbed into Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, and Bengali.[1](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/the-secret-of-the-shiledars-web-series-130275)
## Reception and comparisons
Reviewers consistently placed the show in the tradition of Western treasure-hunt franchises. Scroll.in called it an [Indiana Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/indiana-jones) and National Treasure-style hunt that puts an alternative spin on accepted history, but judged it too sketchily written and poorly produced to mount a heart-pounding adventure, while noting that the main actors were less amateurish than the material.[6](https://scroll.in/reel/1078624/the-secret-of-the-shiledars-review-an-amateurish-hunt-for-shivajis-hidden-treasure/) OTTplay credited the show with attempting a genre underrepresented in Indian streaming but found it derivative of *National Treasure* and *Indiana Jones*.[7](https://www.ottplay.com/features/the-secrets-of-the-shiledars-is-a-map-to-nowhere/7413189571836) More positive reviews highlighted Rajeev Khandelwal's performance and the historical elements such as forts, manuscripts, and hidden symbols; Newz Daddy rated it 3.5 out of 5 and called it family-oriented viewing.[11](https://www.newzdaddy.com/review-of-hindi-web-series-the-secrets-of-shiledars-on-disney-plus-hotstar/) On IMDb the series holds a 6.8/10 rating from about 2,100 users.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33083754)
## References
1. [The Secret Of The Shiledars Web Series (2025), Gadgets 360](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/the-secret-of-the-shiledars-web-series-130275)
2. [The Secret of the Shiledars OTT release date, OTTplay](https://www.ottplay.com/news/the-secret-of-the-shiledars-ott-release-date-rajeev-khandelwal-sai-tamhankar-disney-hotstar/ce964fdb34734)
3. [The Secret of the Shiledars (TV Series 2025– ), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33083754)
4. [The Secret Of The Shiledars (2025), Indian Film History](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/web-series/the-secret-of-the-shiledars)
5. [The Secret of the Shiledars Season 1, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/the-secret-of-the-shiledars/season-1)
6. [The Secret of the Shiledars OTT review, Scroll.in](https://scroll.in/reel/1078624/the-secret-of-the-shiledars-review-an-amateurish-hunt-for-shivajis-hidden-treasure/)
7. [The Secrets Of The Shiledars Is A Map To Nowhere, OTTplay](https://www.ottplay.com/features/the-secrets-of-the-shiledars-is-a-map-to-nowhere/7413189571836)
8. [Watch The Secret of the Shiledars, Disney+](https://www.disneyplus.com/en-sg/browse/entity-690d08f2-b442-4f48-8734-28a72049cfbc)
9. [EXCLUSIVE: Gaurav Amlani on bagging The Secret Of The Shiledars, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/news/features/exclusive-gaurav-amlani-bagging-secret-shiledars-due-stint-punyashlok-ahilyabai-literally-cut-off-social-personal-life-show/)
10. [The Pioneer, Vijayawada edition, January 21, 2025](https://pynr.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/21-VJA-12-PAGES-PDF.compressed.pdf)
11. [Review of Hindi Web Series "The Secrets of Shiledars", Newz Daddy](https://www.newzdaddy.com/review-of-hindi-web-series-the-secrets-of-shiledars-on-disney-plus-hotstar/)
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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 › Hindi serials and Indian Hindi-language dramas › Crime and thriller serials*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
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