iWorld
Mallika Sherawat chooses ZEE5 for her web-series debut!
MUMBAI: In a first-of-its-kind series, ZEE5 has launched ‘The Story’, a web series that gives you a quirky peek into the lives of celebrities through incidents that are either their worst nightmare or their favourite fantasy. For the series, ZEE5 – India’s largest and most comprehensive digital entertainment platform for multilingual entertainment, has featured Swara Bhaskar and Sumeet Vyas’s stories, & the episode featuring Mallika Sherawat will release on 26th June 2018.
The Story is a web-series which has a different take on bridging the gap between reel and real-life. The series highlights select incidents from the lives of each of the actors. Now it is anybody’s guess if the incidents are real or a figment of their imagination. The series is available on ZEE5 in the languages of Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu & Marathi.
With the latest episode featuring Mallika, audience are in for a dose of drama watching Mallika fight off a stalker. It takes us through a thrilling experience where she is harassed by threatening calls from a stalker and on the verge of ambush. Her journey to finding out the true identity of the mystery stalker will have you at the edge of the seat all through.
The first episode narrated by Swara Bhaskar talks about her story with her ex-flame. Swara describes it as the crazy break-up night where the couple was bothered by a jealous ex-girlfriend, cops running after them and a curious taxi driver.
Sumeet Vyas, starring in the second episode, talks about his obsession (read as OCD) with hygiene. Be ready to have a fun-filled session while watching Sumeet react to an unclean car situation, making him anxious for a date and picking up fights.
Commenting on the launch, ZEE5 India, Chief Marketing Officer, Manish Aggarwal said, “The Story is a successful experiment by ZEE5 with unscripted life stories of celebrities. The first two episodes with Swara and Sumeet have received a phenomenal response from our viewers and we are confident that the third episode with Mallika will be well-received too. This is a big one for us in our original content portfolio and viewers can expect many more such innovative formats from the ZEE5 stable.”
ZEE5 has an exciting original content line-up which will feature some of the biggest and most entertaining faces from the world of Indian entertainment. The platform will have 90+ original shows by the end of March 2019.
iWorld
JioHotstar enters micro-drama space with 100 shows under Tadka banner
Short-form push targets 300M users as content meets commerce in new format
MUMBAI: JioStar has made a bold play in India’s fast-growing micro-drama space, rolling out over 100 short-form shows under its new Tadka banner on JioHotstar, timed with the massive viewership surge of the Indian Premier League 2026.
The scale of the launch signals clear intent. Rather than testing the waters, the company has dived in headfirst, releasing a wide slate of content on day one. Each show is designed for quick consumption, with episodes running 60 to 90 seconds in a vertical format tailored for mobile-first audiences.
The move comes as India’s micro-drama market, currently valued at around $300 million, is projected to grow tenfold to over $3 billion by 2030. Globally, the format has already proven its mettle, with China’s micro-drama sector recording explosive growth in recent years.
What sets this rollout apart is its built-in monetisation strategy. The shows are free to watch and ad-supported, with brand integrations woven directly into storylines from the outset. It reflects a broader shift where content and commerce are increasingly intertwined, rather than operating in silos.
The timing is equally strategic. With more than 300 million users already tuning in for IPL action, JioHotstar is effectively turning cricket’s biggest stage into a discovery engine for its new format.
The company is not entering an empty arena. Early movers like Kuku TV, MX Player and platforms backed by Zee Entertainment Enterprises have already laid the groundwork, building audiences and validating demand for snackable storytelling.
Now, with scale, distribution and advertiser interest aligning, the big players are stepping in. For JioStar, Tadka may well serve as a proving ground for the next evolution of digital entertainment, where every minute counts and every second sells.
If the bet pays off, India’s next big content wave might just arrive in under 90 seconds.
