Last Man in Tower on ZEE5: Manoj Bajpayee's Adiga adaptation now streaming

Last Man in Tower, the Hindi film adaptation of Aravind Adiga's novel, began streaming on ZEE5 on Friday, 6 November 2026. Directed by Ben Rekhi and produced by Rana Daggubati's Spirit Media, the drama stars Manoj Bajpayee as Yogesh "Masterji" Mishra, a retired schoolteacher in a Mumbai housing society who refuses a property developer's offer to buy out the building, with Boman Irani as the builder and Divya Dutta as a fellow resident. The film reached cinemas on Friday, 11 September 2026, and now arrives on streaming eight weeks later.

Last Man in Tower is a story about something millions of city dwellers in India know well: redevelopment. In the film, a property developer makes the residents of an old Mumbai housing society an offer that could change their lives. Most of them want to say yes. Masterji, a retired teacher, refuses to leave his home, and his lone stand slowly turns his friends and neighbours against him. Played out in a single building, it becomes a study of greed, pressure and how quickly a community can turn on one of its own.

The film brings together a strong set of names. Aravind Adiga, the novelist, shares screenplay credit with Juhi Chaturvedi and Sooni Taraporevala, so the author had a hand in turning his own book into a film. Manoj Bajpayee plays the holdout at the centre of the story, while Boman Irani plays the builder trying to close the deal, setting two experienced actors against each other.

The streaming release matters for the film's reach. It gives the drama a second life after its September cinema run, and puts it in front of ZEE5 subscribers during the Diwali week, when many families are at home. At 97 minutes, it can be watched in a single evening.

ZEE5's listing presents it as a film, not a series, so viewers expecting a multi-episode adaptation of the novel should note that the story is told in one sitting.

Peepals calculation: From the cinema release on Friday, 11 September 2026 to the ZEE5 premiere on Friday, 6 November 2026 is 56 days, or exactly eight weeks (56 / 7 = 8). At 97 minutes, the film runs about 1 hour 37 minutes (97 - 60 = 37). Our calculation from the reported dates and runtime.

Short-term: ZEE5 subscribers can now watch the film at home. Viewers who missed its September cinema run get a second chance, and the release adds to a busy Diwali-week streaming slate.

Long-term: The film adds to a growing list of Indian literary novels adapted for the screen. A good response on streaming could encourage more producers to adapt Indian fiction in English for Hindi audiences.

Who is affected: ZEE5 subscribers, readers of Aravind Adiga, fans of Manoj Bajpayee, Boman Irani and Divya Dutta, and residents of ageing housing societies who will recognise the redevelopment debate at the film's heart.

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