Sabarish Venkat (left), CEO of KadhaiShorts, and Karan Dayanidhi Maran, Vice-Chairman of Maran Group and Founder of KadhaiShorts, at the launch of the micro-drama platform KadhaiShorts in Chennai on May 28, 2026. | Photo Credit: BIJOY GHOSH

Karan Dayanidhi Maran, the son of former Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran, has launched KadhaiShorts, a micro-drama platform.

The platform, part of the newly established Maran Group, aims to bring vernacular stories packaged into snackable two-minute episodic content.

KadhaiShorts will have a lineup of kutti (mini) serials, a short-form vertical format reimagination of yesteryear television soaps. As part of the launch, the platform has introduced a pay-per-series pricing model starting at ₹20.

While kicking off with Tamil content, the company plans to eventually launch shows across Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Malayalam and Bengali by end of this financial year.

“We see micro-drama not as a passing trend, but as the next major entertainment format built for mobile-only consumption. With KadhaiShorts, we are not entering this space to participate. We are entering it to lead,” Karan Dayanidhi Maran, Vice Chairman - Maran Group & Founder - KadhaiShorts said.

Platform explores brand integration and creator monetisation

Maran added that, in addition to platform monetisation through user transactions, KadhaiShorts is also exploring storytelling-led brand integration models in which brands become part of narrative environments rather than conventional advertising.

The company is also setting up KadhaiClub, a community designed to democratise access to opportunities in the mobile-only entertainment category. The initiative already has over 12,000 members and focuses on enabling aspiring writers, actors, editors, cinematographers, directors, and creators to understand and participate in next-generation vertical entertainment formats.

KadhaiShorts’s team also includes Sabarsih Venkat as CEO, Fahd Abdur Rahman as Head of Marketing and Pradhessh Mugundhan as Creative Producer.

Micro-drama format gains momentum in India

While KadhaiShorts is a novel offering in the Southern digital entertainment space, the micro-drama format is in high demand globally, and is increasingly so in India too. Besides the start-ups in this space, entertainment giant Jio recently launched Tadka, a platform for micro drama content.

Published on May 28, 2026