MAM
A tale of a storyteller…
MUMBAI: At 34, Hetal Adesara has seen it all… Rather, that’s what she would have us believe through her maiden book, ‘Matrimonial Mocktales.’
From a traditional Gujarati family in Jamshdepur, Hetal, left the small town in East India to get away from being hurled into another traditional Gujarati family through the instituition of arranged marriage. She saw many a “suitable boy” and was seen by many of them as and when her parents referred them to her even as she moved to Mumbai.
‘Matrimonial Mocktales’ is Hetal’s take on a few of these meetings. She does mention though that the instances are dramatized for a better reading experience.
After escaping from Tatanagar, Hetal cut her teeth in journalism in indiantelevision.com by starting and editing The Team Players section which profiled young executives in advertising, marketing, broadcast. She then moved on to report on media, marketing and advertising developments. Her commitment to work and sharp and clear analyses left an impression on whosoever she interviewed or wrote about in the television, advertising and marketing industries between 2003-2005.
She has explored every opportunity that has come her way over the past decade. Following her stint with indiantelevision.com, she helped co-found businessofcinema.com. From writing about films, she went onto to work as an assistant producer with Vidhu Vinod Chopra on 3 Idiots. She then tried her hand at direction, assisting director Rohan Sippy on Nautanki Saala apart from working as script supervisor on the same film. More recently, she worked on the IIFA Awards at Tampa Bay as executive producer for television and digital content.
But all along Hetal nursed in her heart a deep desire to pen her own novel. Which this diploma holder in journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications finally fulfilled last year when she wrote ‘Matrimonial Mocktales’. It took her two years to get the book published. But she finally found a publisher in OM Books International.
‘Matrimonial Mocktales’ revolves around young Rhea, who always wanted a Mills & Boon romance but in the real world, that is probably too much to ask. She is raised in a conservative Sikh family in Jalandhar where it is unthinkable for a girl to remain unmarried at 25, let alone 33. But there she is, single and independent and STILL in search of her Mr Right. At just 15, her parents get her engaged to a 23-year-old boy but that story does not pan out as per plan. Having entered the arena of love on a wrong footing, it takes the better part of her young life to find the right man before a whole lot of wrong ones come and go, even as she tries to make sense of her chaotic world.
Hetal believes many a young girl who has escaped – or is struggling to escape – from the clutches of arranged marriage will identify with Rhea the character. “Rhea is educated but because of family pressure she goes through what they ask her to do. It could be any other girl from any other small town who has dreams to achieve and be happy with the man she loves, and not the man that’s chosen for her,” she says. “That should resonnate with today’s women.”
Quite a few eyebrows were raised, even among Hetal’s friends, at her move to quit working and take time off to write her novel. But, resolute young woman that she is, she did not let any of their reservations hold her back.
“As a kid, I loved scribbling poems and dreamt of becoming a writer. God has been kind to me and I am sure there is a lot more in store for me,” says she.
Indeed, Hetal is already working on the sequel to ‘Matrimonial Mocktales’. “I want to continue to write stories because I think it is an enriching experience,” she adds.
What would she advise young, budding writers out there? “There is a huge market out there which is unexplored in the publishing industry in India. Get the right inspiration and get to penning it down right,” she says.
We at indiantelevision.com wish our former employee and colleague good luck and recommend readers to and pick up a copy of her book for a good weekend read! It will be money well spent!
MAM
Microdrama Specialist COL Group International Builds Out With Narativ, Rock Networks & BlingWood Deals
MUMBAI: Microdrama powerhouse COL Group International is building out its distribution network, with its CEO saying vertical video is about to enter its “next competitive chapter.”
The microdrama arm of publicly-listed Chinese company COL Group appointed Narativ Media as its official distributor in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and CIS regions and Africa, and a struck new content deal with a new Dubai-based microdrama platform.
The deals were unveiled this morning at MIP London, and also included Rock Networks as its exclusive Southeast Asia telco distribution partner for its app, FlareFlow. MIP London is now into its second day at the Savoy Hotel and adjoining IET London complex.
The deals come soon after COL appointed Harbour Rights to represent its titles in Europe and Latin America, as we reported yesterday in our extended feature on microdrama distribution.
COL’s Singapore-based microdrama unit says its “coordinated global distribution architecture and significantly expanded international content slate” would help to scale its catalogue to more than 1,700 microdrama titles worldwide. These hail from South Korea, Japan, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the UK and roll out across Sereal+, FlareFlow and 17K.
A deal with Dubai-based BlingWood, which recently launched as an OTT platform, will expand COL’s access to Middle Eastern and Indian microdramas, and includes a broader pipeline of Indian series from storytelling platform Pratilipi, Korean titles from BeLive Studios and British reality-led formats from Tattle TV — the UK’s first dedicated microdrama app, including titles such as Dog Dates.
“Microdrama is entering its next competitive chapter, where quality, retention and monetization standards are increasingly shaped by data and operational discipline,” said Timothy Oh, General Manager of COL Group International.
“As pioneers in both China and the U.S., scaling some of the world’s leading platforms in this space, we understand what it truly takes to win sustainably. Our role is not simply to offer catalogue volume, but to help partners select, position and scale the right content for their platform and audience. By bringing together a broad, constantly refreshed slate from across regions, we enable smarter curation, clearer differentiation and long-term growth for serious industry players.”
Narativ deal
COL and UAE-based Narativ described their deal as a “strategic expansion of premium vertical content distribution across high-growth emerging markets,” and comes as the microdrama continues to boom financially. The growth of the medium will be among the key topics of conversation today at MIP London, where COL chief Oh will be speaking.
The pact extends beyond content representation and is being billed as part of a more “structured micro-drama distribution infrastructure.”
Narativ will spearhead market development, platform alliances, broadcaster relationships and digital monetization frameworks across the MENA and CIS regions and Africa, where they have identified “rapid mobile-first consumption growth and strong demand for short-form, high-engagement storytelling formats.”
“Micro-dramas are reshaping global viewing habits, particularly across mobile-first markets like MENA, Africa and CIS,” said Manjyot Sandhu, CEO and co-founder of Narativ. “Our appointment as official distributor for COL Group in these territories reflects Narativ’s strategy to build sustainable distribution architecture.
“A key pillar of the collaboration includes integration with FlareFlow, enabling strategic telco partnerships, bundled carrier offerings, and alternative monetization pathways designed to accelerate scale across mobile ecosystems and OTT platforms.”
Oh added: “We are building more than a content slate – we are building the global infrastructure for microdrama. With hundreds of new titles launching every quarter, scale and regional strength are critical. Narativ with its deep foothold in MENA, Africa CIS and other key markets makes them a natural strategic partner as we expand FlareFlow and bring microdrama to new platforms, telcos and audiences.
Narativ, which is joint venture Sandhu operates with Copyright Capital, manages around 7,000 hours of content and has a digital network spanning 150 million subscribers across 21 language.
COL Group has emerged as one of the biggest microdrama platforms, running platforms such as FlareFow. It is also a part-owner of ReelShort.
