Mumbai: ZEE5, India’s largest homegrown video streaming platform, has announced the launch of its latest Tamil original series, Regai (Fingerprint), a dark and psychologically charged crime thriller premiering on November 28. The seven-episode series transports viewers into a world where truth hides beneath layers of deception, and every revelation deepens the mystery.
While Regai draws its core premise from the universe crafted by celebrated crime novelist Rajesh Kumar, the series is an original creation—written and directed by Dhinakaran M, who brings a heightened sense of tension and emotional depth to the narrative.
At its core lies a haunting question: How do you solve a crime when the victims have already been declared dead? What begins as a routine chase for S.I. Vetri (Bala Hasan) and constable Santhiya (Pavitra Janani) quickly spirals into an unsettling investigation. After an ice-cart vendor dies accidentally while fleeing, Vetri discovers a severed hand hidden in the melting ice. This leads him into a labyrinth involving medical trials and a covert network of individuals whose surviving members are more dangerous than those already gone—blurring the lines between hunter and hunted.
Produced by S. Singaravelan of S.S Group Production House, Regai features a strong ensemble cast including Bala Hasan, Pavithra Janani, Pobalam Pragathesh, Vinothini Vaidyanathan, Sriram M, Anjali Rao, and Indrajith E.
Rajesh Kumar, the novelist, expressed, “Every crime story begins in the human mind before it reaches the page. What interested me in ‘Regai’ is how it takes a simple idea and follows it into the darker corners of our society. When a new creator interprets something from my world and finds fresh fear in it, that tells me the genre is still alive.”
Creator, writer, and director M. Dhinakaran shared, “The series is about the quiet violence that happens out of sight, the kind that never makes it to a police report but destroys lives all the same. I wanted the audience to feel that discomfort, that uncertainty of not knowing whom to trust. This world may have begun with an idea from Rajesh Kumar sir, but the shadows in it are deeply personal to me.”
Lead actor Bala Hasan added, “Vetri is a man who spends his days chasing answers but is terrified of the truths he finds. Playing him meant holding that fear inside without letting the world see it. Regai pushed me to explore the kind of vulnerability we rarely show in thrillers, the human cost of carrying other people’s tragedies.”
Lloyd C Xavier, Tamil and Malayalam ZEE5 Business Head and SVP – South Marketing, said, “Regai is not just a thriller, it is a reminder of why native storytelling matters. It exposes the silences behind the mystery, the uncomfortable truth that systems built to protect people can sometimes fail them. What moved me most is how the series shows ordinary lives getting caught in forces far larger than themselves, in ways that feel disturbingly possible. At ZEE5, our vision is to champion stories that carry authenticity, courage, and emotional honesty. Regai reflects that belief with clarity, it unsettles you, but for the right reasons.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybTJcRA5sg4
