9 Hours is an Indian Telugu-language survival crime thriller streaming television series created by Krish Jagarlamudi and has an ensemble cast of Taraka Ratna, Madhu Shalini, Ajay, Ravi Varma and Ravi Prakash.[1][2] 9 Hours was premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on 2 June 2022.[3]
| 9 Hours | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Created by | Krish Jagarlamudi |
| Based on | Tommidi Gantalu by Malladi Venkata Krishna Murthy |
| Written by | Krish Jagarlamudi |
| Directed by |
|
| Starring | |
| Composer | Shakthi Kanth Karthick |
| Country of origin | India |
| Original language | Telugu |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 9 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Rohith Pisapati |
| Producers |
|
| Production location | India |
| Cinematography | Manojh Reddy |
| Editor | Dharmendra Kakarala |
| Production company | First Frame Entertainments |
| Distributor | Star India |
| Release | |
| Original network | Disney+ Hotstar |
| Picture format | 4K (Ultra HD) |
| Audio format | 5.1 surround sound |
| Original release | 2 June 2022 (2022-06-02) |
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Hour 01" | Niranjan Kaushik Jacob Verghese | Krish Jagarlamudi | June 2, 2022 (2022-06-02) |
| 2 | "Hour 02" | Niranjan Kaushik Jacob Verghese | Krish Jagarlamudi | June 2, 2022 (2022-06-02) |
| 3 | "Hour 03" | Niranjan Kaushik Jacob Verghese | Krish Jagarlamudi | June 2, 2022 (2022-06-02) |
| 4 | "Hour 04" | Niranjan Kaushik Jacob Verghese | Krish Jagarlamudi | June 2, 2022 (2022-06-02) |
| 5 | "Hour 05" | Niranjan Kaushik Jacob Verghese | Krish Jagarlamudi | June 2, 2022 (2022-06-02) |
| 6 | "Hour 06" | Niranjan Kaushik Jacob Verghese | Krish Jagarlamudi | June 2, 2022 (2022-06-02) |
| 7 | "Hour 07" | Niranjan Kaushik Jacob Verghese | Krish Jagarlamudi | June 2, 2022 (2022-06-02) |
| 8 | "Hour 08" | Niranjan Kaushik Jacob Verghese | Krish Jagarlamudi | June 2, 2022 (2022-06-02) |
| 9 | "Hour 09" | Niranjan Kaushik Jacob Verghese | Krish Jagarlamudi | June 2, 2022 (2022-06-02) |
Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu in her review stated that "The payoffs in the form of twists and turns happen rather late and are not enough. Perhaps it was alluring to have nine episodes to befit the title, but the series could have done with liberal trimming".[4] Echoing the same, Pinkvilla's Arvind V opined that "The survival drama trappings deserved a better canvas, and a profound script. Torture and beatings are no substitute for thrills and drama".[5]
Comparing it with Money Heist, Latha Srinivasan of Firstpost praised the performances of the ensemble cast while criticizing the screenplay and writing.[6] Giving a mixed review, Neeshita Nyayapati of The Times of India wrote that "You don’t always buy what 9 Hours is selling you, there are moments you will pause and wonder how plausible whatever is playing out on screen is. But the series does manage to do its job by keeping you engaged".[7]