TukTuki looks to bring emotional depth to the gap between long-form and UGC

India's digital entertainment market has evolved from a phase of user acquisition to a significant monetisation opportunity. The short-form video (SFV) market alone is projected to reach $8 to $12 billion by 2030. As India is poised to become the third-largest media and entertainment market globally by 2028, new segments like micro-dramas are forecast to grow into a $700 million market by FY30.

Within this rapidly expanding and lucrative landscape, a significant gap has emerged. According to Anshita Kulshrestha, Founder of TukTuki Entertainments, traditional premium entertainment often felt "too long, too costly, or disconnected" from the realities of audiences in smaller towns. At the same time, she believes the user-generated video boom "lacked the emotional depth and narrative structure that Indian audiences naturally seek."

This is the gap that TukTuki aims to fill. The platform’s model is intended to be distinct: it delivers one-hour films as a series of 1-3 minute vertical episodes, offering emotional depth and narrative satisfaction in a bite-sized format.

The app crossed 100,000 downloads within weeks of its launch, finding strong traction with its core audience of young adults and families in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. This audience typically watches during short breaks, commutes, or while winding down after dinner.

To serve this highly price-sensitive market, TukTuki operates on a dual revenue model of free (ad-supported) content and an affordable ad-free plan, built around a carefully chosen ₹29 price point. The platform also aims to release three to five new micro-dramas every month.

In an interview with Social Samosa, Founder Anshita Kulshrestha details the playbook behind this rapid launch, from TukTuki’s scientific, almost mathematical approach to scriptwriting to its hyper-localised marketing strategy and the production challenges of fitting genres like mythology into a 2-minute canvas.

Identifying the market gap for micro-drama

Kulshrestha saw an opportunity to "blend that cultural richness with modern viewing habits," positioning micro-dramas, or 'minisodes', as the "perfect middle ground — emotionally fulfilling, culturally resonant and easily consumable within everyday routines.” 

TukTuki was built to fill this niche, focusing on produced content rather than user-generated clips. "Unlike platforms that depend on user-generated or repurposed content, we focus on structured storytelling through one-hour films delivered as 1-3 minute vertical episodes," Kulshrestha says. This model is intended to give "viewers emotional depth and narrative satisfaction in every watch.”

This approach is aimed at its core users, young adults and families, in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. The platform has found traction with this audience, who typically watch during brief windows of opportunity, such as "during short breaks while commuting, between work or study hours, or winding down after dinner.”

A dual model for a price-sensitive market

TukTuki operates on a dual revenue model of advertising and subscription. "Viewers can watch our content for free with ads or opt for an affordable ad-free plan for a smoother experience," Kulshrestha states. This flexibility is a deliberate strategy for India, which she describes as a "highly price-sensitive market," making pricing a "key lever for adoption."

The platform’s ₹29 price point for unlocking content was not arbitrary. "The price has been carefully determined to ensure both accessibility for audiences and sustainability for the platform," she says. "This cost was set based on a clear understanding of our viewers’ consumption habits, preferences, and willingness to pay for content that is culturally relevant, emotionally engaging, and family-friendly.”

The paid tier is positioned as an "affordable and natural extension of the free, ad-supported content, offering enhanced convenience and uninterrupted storytelling.”

This dual model is supported by what Kulshrestha terms a "lean, efficient production model," which she says "allows us to maintain high quality while scaling quickly—a key factor that’s driving both our growth and creative momentum". This efficiency allows the platform to release "three to five micro-dramas every month."

A marketing strategy of micro-targeting and data

To reach its target audience, TukTuki is employing a "localised, culturally aware approach rather than broad, one-size-fits-all marketing.” Kulshrestha is clear about what they do not do: "From day one, we have avoided broad, mass-media tactics like outdoor campaigns."

Instead, she says, "our approach is built around micro-targeting — reaching a defined audience clusters with the right content, at the right moments, on the platforms they actively engage with."

A major component of this strategy is a regional influencer network. "In every new language we enter, we collaborate with creators who already have trust and cultural relevance in that specific market," Kulshrestha explains. "This helps us capture the right audience quickly and authentically."

This targeted framework is also central to their regional expansion. As the core playbook is already built for segmentation, Kulshrestha notes, "What changes is simply the cultural layer — the storytelling nuances, the local influencers, and the contexts we tap into."

Integral to this strategy is the content itself. Kulshrestha describes a "very scientific, almost mathematical, pedagogy for script development." She elaborates, "Every new concept is shaped by real user feedback, watch-time patterns, completion rates, and genre-level performance. We analyse what’s working... and then build scripts that align with those insights."

Future genres and AI

As TukTuki builds on its initial success, its content ambitions are expanding into more complex genres, including mythology and sports. Kulshrestha acknowledges that these new categories present significant creative and production hurdles. "The challenge is to distill these vast story worlds into tight, high-impact micro-dramas without losing their emotional or cultural depth," she says.

These genres also require a ‘significant technical leap’ for production, particularly for visual effects. "Mythology and even certain sports narratives require visual environments that don’t exist in the real world," Kulshrestha notes. Building these worlds "convincingly in a vertical-only format" at the speed required for micro-content is a major challenge.

Looking ahead, Kulshrestha sees Artificial Intelligence as the key to meeting this challenge and a "massive opportunity... both creatively and operationally." She anticipates AI will allow TukTuki to "develop stories in a fraction of the time it would traditionally take, while also bringing down production costs significantly." This acceleration, she notes, means the company can create "far more content, at far greater speed, and at a much more efficient cost structure". For the business, Kulshrestha states, this "unlocks scale". For the consumer, she believes it "translates into a richer, more diverse entertainment experience.”