iWorld
Spuul to premier Rajat Kapoor’s ‘X:Past is Present’
MUMBAI: Online streaming service for Indian cinema content Spuul is premiering Drishyam Films’ X:Past is Present digitally.
This will be Rajat Kapoor’s second film to debut on Spuul after Ankhon Dekhi in 2014. The movie will be available across devices like eeb, mobile (iOS, Android), Smart TVs (Samsung, Panasonic, LG), Airplay on iOS, and Chromecast on Android.
X:Past is Present is a 2015 Indian collaborative feature film directed by a team of 11 filmmakers including Abhinav Shiv Tiwari, Anu Menon, Nalan Kumarasamy, Hemant Gaba, Pratim D. Gupta, Q, Raja Sen, Rajshree Ojha, Sandeep Mohan, Sudhish Kamath and Suparn Verma. It features actor-director Rajat Kapoor and Anshuman Jha in the lead.
The movie also stars Huma Qureshi, Radhika Apte and Swara Bhaskar. It revolves around a filmmaker battling mid life crisis who meets a girl half his age. This girl brings back memories of all the women in his life including his lovers, wives and actresses.
Spuul Global CEO Subin Subaiah said, “As one of the leading providers of Bollywood content to viewers across India,Pakistan, UK, US and Middle East, we are constantly investing in growing our library by adding new, popular and in many cases, offbeat, new age titles to our list. In 2016, we will continue to add more diverse cinema to our library thus providing our viewers with fresh content.”
Kapoor added, “With more viewers logging online to consume content, digital platforms like Spuul play a vital role in the ecosystem of cinema. After a successful digital premiere of Ankhon Dekhi on Spuul, we are back with X:Past is Present for the Indian Diaspora.”
Some of the latest additions to Spuul’s catalogue over the past months are movies like Detective Byomkesh Bakshy, Jal, Dum Laga Ke Haisha and Hunterrr.
iWorld
YRF, Red Chillies explore micro dramas as format gains ground
Short-format boom grows, 71 per cent users rely on UPI autopay.
MUMBAI: Big stories are getting shorter and Bollywood’s biggest studios are starting to think small to stay big. Yash Raj Films and Red Chillies Entertainment are independently evaluating entry into the micro drama space in 2026, signalling a strategic pivot as legacy players chase the fast-growing demand for bite-sized storytelling.
At YRF, the recent appointment of Saugata Mukherjee is being read as more than just a leadership shuffle. Industry insiders view the move as a deliberate step towards building a sharper, digital-first content pipeline. Mukherjee, who previously played a key role in shaping premium originals at SonyLiv, is known for backing narrative-led shows that helped the platform stand out in an increasingly crowded OTT market. His experience in scaling differentiated content is now expected to anchor YRF’s next phase of expansion.
While YRF’s plans appear relatively advanced, conversations around micro dramas are also picking up at Red Chillies, albeit at an earlier stage. Insiders suggest the studio is exploring the format as part of a broader rethink of content strategy in a market where attention spans and distribution formats are rapidly evolving.
The timing is hardly accidental. India’s micro drama ecosystem is already taking shape, with platforms such as JioHotstar (“Tadka”), Zee5 (“Bullet”), Amazon MX Player (“Fatafat”) and Tata Play (“Shots”) experimenting with mobile-first, episodic formats designed for binge consumption. Alongside these, niche players like Kuku TV, QuickTV and StoryTV are also building early traction.
What is driving this surge is not just format novelty but consumption behaviour. Data from Redseer indicates that content velocity and freshness are emerging as key engagement drivers, with users responding strongly to frequent releases and evolving story arcs. Interestingly, pricing is not a major friction point audiences are willing to pay, provided the content offers novelty and quality.
User feedback also points to a shift in taste. There is growing appetite for genre diversity beyond familiar tropes, opening up space for experimentation in storytelling formats. This creates an opportunity for both incumbents and new entrants to differentiate in what is quickly becoming a crowded segment.
Monetisation, however, remains tightly linked to ease of access. Around 71 per cent of users rely on UPI autopay for subscriptions, underlining the importance of seamless payment systems even as platforms explore diversified revenue models.
The rise of micro dramas is part of a larger shift in India’s digital entertainment landscape, where interactive media including audio streaming, social discovery and niche formats such as devotional and astrology-led content is gaining momentum. This broader segment is projected to grow into a $3.1–3.4 billion market by FY30, with micro dramas expected to be among the fastest-growing categories, outpacing traditional short-form video.
For studios like YRF and Red Chillies, the message is becoming clear: in a market where attention is fragmented, storytelling may need to shrink in size but not in ambition.
