Asit Kumarr Modi takes Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah from TV to the world

CHENNAI: Twenty million downloads. Twenty million subscribers. Five hundred million monthly viewers. Not bad for a sitcom that decided it was too big for the television screen. Neela Mediatech, the gaming, animation and edtech venture behind Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah (TMKOC), took a seat at the India Game Developer Conference (IGDC) 2026 in Chennai as a key partner and sponsor, and its founder had plenty to say.

During a fireside chat, Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah creator and producer Asit Kumarr Modi shared what he has learnt from building an entertainment ecosystem that spans live-action television, gaming, animation and edutainment. The ambition is plain: to take Indian stories to global audiences.

The idea is older than it looks. Modi first began exploring IP Play in 2008, when he thought about taking the show beyond television. Today, through Neela Mediatech, that vision spans multiple formats. He credited Harjeet Chhabra, chief executive of Neela Mediatech, for helping build the business and take the vision forward.

The sharpest lesson concerns games. A popular character may draw people in, but the experience has to give them a reason to return. Modi pointed to Gada Electronics, which completes two years on October 30, 2026, and has crossed 20 million downloads. He named game quality, smooth performance, innovation and multilingual access as the factors that keep players engaged, while in-app purchases remain an important part of the business model. In other words, a familiar face opens the door, and good design keeps people inside.

Modi also turned to artificial intelligence in content creation. AI can assist the process, he noted, but original storytelling must remain at its core. It is a sensible line for a creator whose franchise has lasted on the strength of its characters. He also showed how familiar characters can find new audiences across formats, citing Aladdin, Pokémon and Spider-Man as franchises that have built recognition across generations.

The same thinking extends to animation and children’s content. Neela Mediatech’s rhymes and animated content reach young audiences across languages. TMKOC Rhymes has previously reported more than 20 million subscribers and over 500 million monthly viewers. The company is also developing learning experiences through TMKOC PlaySchool, envisioned as Bharat Ki Pathshala, with a focus on learning through play.

What comes next? Modi shared that Neela Mediatech is exploring investments in gaming studios and games. He also stressed the importance of working with honest and passionate partners in building for the long term.

For Asit Kumarr Modi, the opportunity lies in building a global entertainment ecosystem rooted in Indian characters and stories, with TMKOC opening new possibilities across gaming, animation and learning. The vision is to take stories born in India to audiences around the world, creating experiences that travel across formats, languages and generations.