Karan Dayanidhi Maran launches micro-drama platform KadhaiShorts

Karan Dayanidhi Maran has announced the launch of KadhaiShorts, Tamil Nadu’s first micro drama platform, marking Maran Group’s entry into the new-gen entertainment. Rooted in showcasing hyperlocal and culturally relevant stories, the platform aims to bring vertical storytelling to the Tamil audience, worldwide, packaged into snackable two-minute episodic content. With 100+ originals in production, the platform currently houses a specially curated lineup of Tamil “Kutti Series” spread across six intriguing genres and plans to launch shows across Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Malayalam and Bengali, by end of this financial year, stated a release.

As part of its launch strategy, the platform has introduced a pay-per-series pricing model starting at Rs. 20, aimed at making hyperlocal digital entertainment affordable and easily accessible for viewers across demographics.

 KadhaiShorts also differentiates itself through hyperlocal storytelling rooted in native culture, emotions, language and everyday experiences. Spanning multiple genres and audience segments, the launch slate places a strong emphasis on hyperlocal and culturally rooted narratives shaped by native language, emotions, and everyday experiences, while also aiming to take Tamil micro-drama storytelling to wider Indian and global Tamil audiences.

 South India has already witnessed one major entertainment consumption revolution through television serial culture and high-frequency audience engagement shaped over decades. Positioned as “Kutti Serials”, KadhaiShorts adapts the emotional continuity and habitual engagement of television serial culture into a mobile-only entertainment format built for current-generation viewing habits. Led by

 Karan Dayanidhi Maran under Maran Group, KadhaiShorts represents the next phase of this evolution through mobile-first entertainment and personalized content consumption.

Commenting on the launch, Karan Dayanidhi Maran, Vice Chairman - Maran Group & Founder - KadhaiShorts said, “Audience behaviour has already changed. The entertainment industry is now catching up to that shift. 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. We are ruthless about standards, ruthless about originals, and ruthless about building long-term cultural impact.”

The platform will release 10 new vertical micro-dramas every month through cinematically produced two-minute episodic storytelling designed for continuous mobile engagement, combining emotional depth with contemporary viewing habits.

Sabarish Venkat, CEO, KadhaiShorts added, “India already has almost a Billion Smart phone users, and audience behaviour is rapidly shifting toward high-frequency, mobile-only entertainment consumption. Television built shared viewing behaviour across households. Mobile-only entertainment is now building personalized viewing behaviour across individuals. We believe audiences are not moving away from emotional engagement, but toward formats that fit more naturally into everyday life. KadhaiShorts is built around that behavioural shift while retaining strong emotional continuity and culturally rooted narratives.”

As part of its long-term micro drama ecosystem vision, KadhaiShorts has introduced KadhaiClub, the industry-first platform designed to democratize access to opportunities, learning and participation within the emerging 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. KadhaiClub also aims to bridge the gap between traditional horizontal filmmaking practices and the evolving grammar of vertical entertainment storytelling.

By March 2027, KadhaiShorts aims to onboard over 200 professionals and create more than 4,000 opportunities across creative and production functions. The platform is also expected to support over 10,000 indirect livelihoods across allied entertainment and service sectors.

In addition to platform monetization through flexible micro-transactions, KadhaiShorts is also exploring storytelling-led brand integration models where brands become part of narrative environments rather than interrupting audience experience through conventional advertising.