iWorld
Double Tap Films launches as India’s first data-backed microdrama studio
New venture leverages Pratilipi’s massive storytelling ecosystem to create mobile-first dramas.
MUMBAI: Double Tap Films has just tapped into India’s insatiable appetite for stories this time, with data as its secret weapon and the mobile screen as its stage. India’s first data-backed microdrama studio, Double Tap Films, officially launched, marking a fresh chapter in the country’s fast-growing short-form entertainment space. Built at the intersection of indigenous IP and mobile-first consumption, the studio produces complete, vertical-first dramatic narratives powered by real audience intelligence from Pratilipi, India’s largest Indian-language storytelling platform.
Pratilipi’s vast ecosystem home to over 2 million authors whose stories are read more than 800 million times each month gives Double Tap Films a unique competitive edge. Before a single frame is shot, the studio already knows which stories spark emotional dependency and drive binge behaviour. It describes its model as a “format lab to franchise pipeline”, using the microdrama format as a high-signal testing ground for IP that can scale across OTT, gaming, and international markets.
Pratilipi co-founder & CEO Ranjeet Pratap Singh said, “India has always been a country of storytellers. What has changed is the screen. The mobile phone is now the primary relationship that hundreds of millions of Indians have with narrative forms. Double Tap Films exists to define what great storytelling looks like within it. We are building a new cinematic language for the mobile era, rooted in stories that India already loves.”
Pratilipi & Double Tap Films vice president for IP & Key Partnerships Sharlton Menezes added, “India has already crossed 250 million cumulative downloads of micro-drama apps. Double Tap Films is built to power this surge. Every frame is designed for maximum emotional impact per second – mobile-first, story-first, and audience-obsessed.”
The studio’s debut slate spans multiple languages and genres, including Avnika Ki Shaadi, Apavitra, Aag Se Takkar, Raavan, Boss Bahu, CEO Se Romeo, 2:47AM, Nishithini, and Naduve. The content is available on platforms such as Amazon Prime Video, MX, Zupee, Fatafat, Reelies, Story TV, Vertical TV, Hungama OTT, KLIP, and DramaWave.
Double Tap Films produces microdramas in Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, and Gujarati, with plans for further language expansion through 2026. The Indian microdrama market is among the fastest-growing segments in the country’s entertainment economy, with projections estimating it could exceed $1 billion by 2030.
In a country that consumes stories by the billion, Double Tap Films is betting that the smartest way to tell them is to let the audience data write the first draft. With Pratilipi’s massive validated IP pipeline and a clear focus on “Zabardast Entertainment”, the studio is aiming to turn mobile microdramas into India’s next big screen success story.
Gaming
Bluestone FY26 revenue rises to Rs 2,436 crore, turns profitable
Q4 profit at Rs 31 crore, full-year profit at Rs 13 crore vs loss last year.
MUMBAI: From sparkle to numbers, Bluestone seems to be polishing more than just jewellery this year. Bluestone Jewellery and Lifestyle Limited reported a sharp turnaround in FY26, with revenue from operations rising to Rs 2,436 crore (Rs 24,364 million), up from Rs 1,770 crore (Rs 17,700 million) in FY25. The company posted a full-year profit of Rs 13 crore (Rs 131.79 million), a significant recovery from a loss of Rs 222 crore (Rs 2,218 million) a year ago.
Total income for the year stood at Rs 2,486 crore (Rs 24,860 million), compared to Rs 1,830 crore (Rs 18,300 million) in the previous year, reflecting both topline growth and improved operational momentum.
The March quarter, however, told a more nuanced story. Revenue from operations came in at Rs 681 crore (Rs 6,814 million), down from Rs 748 crore (Rs 7,486 million) in the year-ago period, though higher than Rs 461 crore (Rs 4,613 million) in the preceding December quarter. Net profit for Q4 stood at Rs 31 crore (Rs 311.81 million), compared to Rs 68 crore (Rs 688 million) a year earlier, but a clear reversal from a loss of Rs 51 crore (Rs 512 million) in Q3.
Margins were shaped by higher input costs, with raw material consumption rising to Rs 2,204 crore (Rs 22,043 million) for the full year, alongside employee benefit expenses of Rs 282 crore (Rs 2,824 million) and finance costs of Rs 210 crore (Rs 2,104 million). Other expenses came in at Rs 371 crore (Rs 3,715 million), slightly lower than Rs 393 crore (Rs 3,938 million) in FY25.
On the balance sheet front, total assets expanded to Rs 4,961 crore (Rs 49,610 million) as of March 31, 2026, from Rs 3,532 crore (Rs 35,322 million) a year earlier, driven largely by a surge in inventories to Rs 2,672 crore (Rs 26,718 million). Equity also strengthened to Rs 1,803 crore (Rs 18,030 million), nearly doubling from Rs 911 crore (Rs 9,107 million).
Cash flows reflected the cost of growth. Net cash used in operating activities stood at Rs 199 crore (Rs 1,990 million), while investing activities saw an outflow of Rs 239 crore (Rs 2,392 million). Financing activities, however, generated Rs 497 crore (Rs 4,971 million), helping the company end the year with cash and cash equivalents of Rs 108 crore (Rs 1,075 million), up from Rs 49 crore (Rs 487 million).
Earnings per share for FY26 came in at Rs 1.10, a sharp improvement from a negative Rs 79.74 in FY25, underlining the shift from losses to profitability.
With revenue scaling up, costs still glittering on the higher side, and profitability finally back in the black, BlueStone’s FY26 performance suggests a business mid-transition less about shine alone, and more about sustaining it.
