iWorld
Indian content creators must find out right stories to reach global audiences
MUMBAI: Over the top platforms have opened up the doors for content creators to share their creativity across the world. Despite the influx of major companies such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in India, content creators are still figuring out how to make their stories go global.
At the stage of Indiantelevision.com’s Vidnet 2019 summit, some of the successful creators spilt the beans on their strategies. The creators of Delhi Crime, Lunch Box and Bard of Blood believe that stories that resonate and connect emotionally with the global audiences do travel.
The panel discussion ‘Making Indian Stories Travel’ in the creators’ track was moderated by BookMyShow VP content and strategy Manisha Singh Katial and the panellists were MUBI India content advisor Guneet Munga, Delhi Crime creator, director and writer Richie Mehta, and Red Chillies Entertainment chief revenue officer Gaurav Verma.
Katial opened the discussion by stating, “Yes, stories that are good do travel. But they also have to be culturally connected and I think that also becomes the challenge. Something that culturally connects with you resonates more, and something that connects with you emotionally, definitely works. I do feel making stories that travel is a challenge because it depends on the content that one is creating.”
Katial asked Mehta to share the feedback he received on Delhi Crime. “The feedback for Delhi Crime is global. I have been hearing that the story has travelled quite far, and seems to have resonated with people all over the world. I knew this when I was conceiving the project.”
He further elaborated, “I was in Delhi when the crime happened. So I reacted to it as somebody in India would. Then I left and went to Toronto and there I realised that this wasn’t just an ‘Indian’ thing, this was a humanitarian issue for the planet’s citizen. When I pieced together my work I figured out that it could have deep meaning for the Indian audience.”
Mehta’s aim was to show a positive representation of India through his story. “It is the worst thing that has ever happened in this country and if you can spin that around to make a story of the extreme positive environment, especially for somebody outside with no knowledge and understanding about India, I certainly want to make it like that,” he said.
Monga, the creator of Lunch Box, also expressed that content creators have tried to represent Indian beyond Bollywood’s depiction. Distribution has been the challenge previously. She said, “Across the world there are different sets of distribution, buyers and strategies. So it was not the same release day of films worldwide. Lunch Box released over two years around the world. And it is important for us to understand there are many layers to this.”
Monga said that films can travel either because of its content or because of the choice of distribution partners. Sometimes a really good film is unable to travel because it does not have the right access. “So having the right access and having that distribution division, which is not just diaspora, is important. I feel with Netflix coming in India the lines are merging and now people will be able to see what India is with all its languages and colours, all its type of filmmaking and storytelling.”
Katial commented that while having partners like Amazon and Netflix is great, it is also necessary to think internationally. To this, Verma added that one should not try to attempt an international story with the pressure that one has to appeal to seven billion consumers because emotional stories will connect to people. The best way to dazzle the audience is through content and script. Verma also opined that the industry is facing the issue of lack of talent. OTT platforms need writers who can understand the audiences’ need.
The panellists also said that apart from appealing stories and subjects, subtitles and dubbing of the content in different languages are also extremely pivotal in reaching global audiences.
e-commerce
Visa report tracks rise of India’s affluent, experience-led spending
Affluent base doubles to 130 lakh, travel 58 per cent of elite spends.
MUMBAI: In India’s new luxury playbook, it’s less about owning more and more about living better. A new whitepaper by Visa Consulting and Analytics (VCA) maps a decisive shift in India’s affluent economy, where spending is becoming more intentional, experience-led, and closely tied to personal identity rather than pure income growth.
Titled India’s Affluent Economy 2025–2026, the report draws on a Visa-commissioned Yougov study and VisaNet data across travel, dining, retail and lifestyle categories. The headline number is hard to miss: individuals earning over Rs 10 lakh annually have nearly doubled from 69 lakh to 130 lakh, significantly expanding the country’s discretionary spending base.
But it’s not just about scale, it’s about behaviour. As consumers move up the affluence ladder, discretionary categories are taking a larger share of credit card spends, positioning cards as key enablers of premium, lifestyle-driven consumption.
The geography of wealth is shifting too. Affluence is no longer confined to metros such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, with cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Jaipur and Lucknow increasingly mirroring metro consumption patterns.
The report highlights a clear pivot from ownership to access. More than 50 per cent of affluent consumers now use cards for elite memberships, while 7 in 10 are drawn to limited-edition drops and curated collections. Increasingly, luxury is defined by seamless access be it concierge-led travel or curated dining where time saved is as valuable as money spent.
Spending patterns reinforce this shift. Among the ultra-elite, travel accounts for 58 per cent of discretionary spends, far outpacing retail and luxury combined at 28 per cent. Cross-border spending penetration stands at 63 per cent, signalling a growing global outlook among India’s affluent.
Closer home, indulgence is becoming routine. Nearly 4 in 5 affluent consumers dine at premium establishments at least three times a year, while 1 in 4 visit luxury venues more than five times annually. Dining spends are also climbing, with Rs 20,000 emerging as a new entry-level benchmark per experience and Rs 50,000 marking premium territory.
Retail, meanwhile, is becoming more selective. Three in four affluent consumers make a high-end purchase at least once a quarter, while one in four shops premium every two weeks. Luxury retail intensity is also rising, with 2 in 5 consumers spending over Rs 5 lakh annually, and a smaller but significant segment exceeding Rs 10 lakh.
Technology and wellness are carving out new roles in this ecosystem. High-end gadgets now see average spends of Rs 60,000 or more per purchase, while ultra-elite consumers are eight times more likely to visit spas and show five times higher engagement with cosmetic stores than non-affluent groups.
The broader takeaway is structural. Affluent consumers are no longer buying products, they are buying ecosystems. Integrated experiences across travel, dining, wellness and payments are becoming central to how this segment lives and spends.
As India’s affluent base expands beyond metros and aligns more closely with global consumption patterns, the real opportunity lies not just in size, but in speed. For brands, the message is clear: relevance will be defined by how early and how seamlessly, they plug into this evolving lifestyle economy.
