11th Hour (web series)

11th Hour is an Indian Telugu language crime thriller web series created by Introupe Online for aha, directed by Praveen Sattaru, starring Tamannaah in the lead role. The series is inspired by Upendra Namburi's 2017 book "8 Hours" (Westland publication), in which the protagonist Aratrika Reddy (Tamannaah) faces a multi-layered high-stakes boardroom challenge that unfolds in a single night.
The series' release was originally scheduled on , but due to lockdown and other health hazards, rescheduled to .
Synopsis.
11th Hour's story unfolds over one night in Hyderabad. Aratrika Reddy (Tamannaah), Chairman of Aditya Group of Companies, dreams of providing clean and safe power to all the Indians at affordable prices using the revolutionary AHNR technology. However, due to a political conspiracy at the national level, Aditya Group is on the verge of liquidation. Aratrika and the key stakeholders have to pay Rs 9,000 plus crore to the Imperial Bank by 8 AM the next dawn to save their company. Aratrika's ex-husband Siddharth Singh (Vamsi Krishna), the business rival Rajvardhan Rathore (Shatru), Imperial Bank Head Sundar Das (Srikanth Iyengar), a Dubai Sheikh named Prince Sadiq (Anirudh Balaji) individually place proposals worth millions in front of Aratrika. But she declines them all and awaits a miracle to save her company by sunrise. With her dreams and the company's future at stake, will Aratrika manage to make a miracle? or does she have a master plan in her mind?
Production.
Pradeep Uppalapati wrote the script for 11th Hour, after which aha greenlit the series as part of its aha originals. Praveen Sattaru selected as the director. Tamannaah appeared in the lead role. With Tamannaah on board, the director chose a supporting cast that can also hold attention, comprising Jayaprakash, Madhusudhan, Arun Adith, Vamsi Krishna and Srikanth Iyengar. The series was shot over 33 days with a team of 30-40 members, who were tested six times for COVID-19. Most portions were filmed in a hotel when occupancy was low because of the pandemic. A few prologues from the past filmed in other places.
Release.
The entire show, comprising eight episodes, was broadcast exclusively on the aha streaming service on .
Reception.
Hemanth Kumar of "Firstpost" rated the series 2.5/5 and wrote: ""11th Hour" has scale, grandeur, and a solid premise but fails to keep one hooked to the story." While the motivations of the characters are established, Kumar felt that the narration was not compelling enough. A.Kameshwari in her "The Indian Express" review stated: "The makers of "11th Hour", a corporate drama, try too hard to make the series interesting but in vain." She felt that the audience could not connect with the character of Tamannaah as it was kept half baked.
"Times of India" critic Sravan Vanaparthy rated 3 of 5 stars and wrote: ""11th Hour" is refreshing in the sense that it explores the trials and tribulations faced by a woman who’s looking to make it big in a man’s world." "India Today" editor Janani K called Tamannaah the saviour of "this bland thriller." "As a single mom, chairman of a company and caring daughter, Tamannaah has done her best. But, her efforts go waste as the writing lacks nuance," she added.
Karthik Keramalu of Film Companion wrote, "11th Hour is a thickly populated series for its kind."