SCOOP: YRF to invest Rs 150 crores in micro-dramas; Akshaye Widhani to lead new vertical for Aditya Chopra

Yash Raj Films (YRF) plans to enter the fast-growing micro-drama space, alongside the development of a proprietary direct-to-consumer app aimed at bringing its content directly to audiences. This seems to be a revolutionary move by the production house, which has willingly contributed to strengthen the theatrical medium of Indian Cinema over the last 50 years.

Reliable sources confirm that Yash Raj Films is investing Rs 150 crores in creation of micro-dramas over the next few years. The amount will be put into creation of content, as also building a direct to consumer application to host the content.

The new vertical will be led by YRF CEO Akshaye Widhani, who produced Saiyaara, which emerged as the most profitable film in the studio s history. Widhani has also brought on board Saugata Mukherjee, formerly of SonyLIV, to lead creative development across streaming shows, films and microdramas, and develop the new slate.

Micro-drama storytelling has seen significant success in markets such as China, where the segment is estimated to be valued at RMB 35 40 billion ($5 6 billion USD), with projections of RMB 50 70 billion ($7 10 billion USD) over the next two years. The format is driven by mobile-first consumption, short-duration episodes, and scalable micropayment models, with a user base of 400 600 million viewers.

YRF s planned entry into this space reflects its continued focus on innovation and building a direct, long-term relationship with audiences through a future-ready, consumer-first entertainment ecosystem. With Aditya Chopra venturing into the micro-drama space, we await other industry giants too to explore what is touted to be the most profitable content model in the world at this point of time.

This move comes right after the Bollywood Hungama newsbreak, where the industry was shocked with the studio s decision to venture into the horror space, as every stalwart knows that this is a genre that Aditya Chopra has never been keen on. But this is the birth of a vision for the studio with a brand new set of people heading departments, and micro-drama just adds another feature to their cap.