The Mediabrief Micro-Drama Viewers’ Guide to India’s Regional platforms

October 6, 2025

Micro-dramas are no longer just a Hindi-language phenomenon, and so we bring you The MEDIABRIEF Micro-drama viewer’s guide as your companion in the best of that world.

We start with eight Regional language platforms — aha, Hoichoi, Planet Marathi, ManoramaMAX, Sun NXT, Kannada Originals, Punjabi & Bhojpuri Shorts, and Gujarati Digital Shorts — shaping the scene right now, explain each platform’s flavour, and then point you to a dozen “start here” picks per app — quick, spoiler-safe synopses that help you decide what to watch next. Popular micro-dramas are winning fans in their native tongues and giving India’s storytelling landscape a truly multilingual edge.

aha (Telugu & Tamil)

aha, one of the most prominent regional OTT platforms, has moved aggressively into micro-dramas in both Telugu and Tamil. Known for high-octane entertainment, aha’s short dramas bring the cinematic sensibility of the South into vertical storytelling. Its slate mixes techy thrillers, moody horror, heartfelt romance, and social intrigue—always paced to a 90-second cliffhanger.

Top aha titles:

Kudi Yedamaithe (Sci-Fi Thriller) — A policewoman trapped in a looping day races to stop a crime that keeps resetting.
Anya’s Tutorial (Horror-Drama) — Two sisters launch a channel that awakens an audience—and something else.
Irai (Crime Thriller) — A veteran cop hunts a kidnapper as every minute slips through his fingers.
Telugu Kathalu (Anthology Drama) — Stand-alone tales of love, loss, and moral tests in tight vertical chapters.
Locked (Psychological Thriller) — A famed neurosurgeon’s home becomes a mind-maze no one exits the same.
Coffee By Two (Rom-Com) — Two strangers share a table; fate keeps refilling their cups.
Kavaludaari (Mystery) — A rookie constable reopens a cold case that lives in plain sight.
Thalli Pogathey (Romance) — College sweethearts reunite across cities and second chances.
Maaya Bazaar 2.0 (Fantasy/Comedy) — A wish-granting app backfires in unexpected, hilarious ways.
Villu (Action/Drama) — A delivery rider crosses a syndicate and outruns both traffic and trouble.
Pournami (Supernatural) — Full-moon nights reveal truths the sun refuses to see.
Agni Nakshatram (Family/Drama) — A joint family’s legacy burns hottest in whispered corridors.

Hoichoi (Bengali)

Hoichoi is synonymous with Bengali thrillers and literary adaptations; its micro-drama slate distills that heritage into bite-size intrigue. Expect detective classics reimagined for vertical, wry comedy-mysteries, and midnight ghost stories that still feel like Kolkata.

Top Hoichoi titles:

Byomkesh Shots (Detective) — The iconic sleuth returns—now in crisp, case-per-episode bites.
Eken Babu Shorts (Comedy Detective) — A lovable amateur unpicks petty crimes with everyday genius.
Bhooter Golpo (Horror Anthology) — Old Calcutta, new chills; one ghost, one twist, one minute.
Shobdo Jodiyo (Romantic Drama) — A sound recordist falls for a voice before he meets the person.
Chhoto Golpo (Slice-of-Life) — Beloved short stories re-told for the phone and the present.
Kalboishakhi (Melodrama) — A summer storm rearranges love, duty, and destiny.
Karkhana (Workplace/Thriller) — A factory leak, a cover-up, and a whistle that won’t stay silent.
Adda 3:33 (Friendship/Comedy) — Three friends, three minutes, too many secrets.
Shonar Gaachh (Family) — A prized mango tree divides a family and heals it too.
Monsoon Telegram (Romance) — Messages mis-sent become the story fate meant.
Teesta (Mystery) — A river town hides an absence too large for its banks.
Golpo Sheshe (Drama) — A novelist steals a life for an ending—then meets the person.

Planet Marathi (Marathi)

Planet Marathi, the first dedicated Marathi OTT, embraces micro-drama with intergenerational warmth, city-village dualities, and a knack for satirical bite. The result: intimate stakes told with Marathi humour, sentiment, and swagger.

Top Planet Marathi titles:

Gondhal (Family/Drama) — In a joint family, the loudest fights hide the quietest love.
Ek Hota Pyaar (Romance) — A triangle written in glances, promises, and missed locals.
Chakravyuh (Crime) — A rookie cop enters politics’ oldest trap and draws a new map.
Jatra (Comedy-Drama) — Village fair chaos becomes a mirror to small, stubborn dreams.
Asmita (Social Drama) — A housekeeper’s courage forces a housing society to see itself.
Mee, Mumbai (Slice-of-Life) — Migrants stitch a life from shifts, chai, and grit.
Tikat (Rom-Com) — Two cinephiles chase a film and find each other in the queue.
Pitrupaksha (Mystery) — A ritual reveals what a family buried with its patriarch.
Shahana (Music/Drama) — A classical vocalist risks tradition for truth.
Dombivli Lines (Workplace) — Local trains, corporate deadlines, borrowed courage.
Vishranti (Comedy) — A retired man rebels… by not taking anyone’s advice.
Bharud (Folklore) — Old devotional verses, new battles of the heart.

ManoramaMAX (Malayalam)

ManoramaMAX blends Kerala’s storytelling poise with digital-first brevity: observational humour, rain-washed romance, and folklore tinged with unease. Micro-dramas here feel lived-in, lyrical, and quietly subversive.

Top ManoramaMAX titles:

Oru Chiri Iru Chiri (Comedy Sketches) — Everyday mishaps, perfectly over-seasoned.
Mazhayethum Munpe (Romantic Drama) — A classic sentiment distilled into monsoon minis.
Nilavinte Bhoomi (Fantasy/Drama) — Moonlight reveals paths daylight denies.
Kathapathram (Slice-of-Life) — The extraordinary hides in ordinary Malayali homes.
Rakshasa (Horror) — A house learns your name—and keeps it.
Puzha (Social/Family) — A river decides more than the villagers think.
Kallachoru (Crime) — A stolen lunchbox opens a much bigger theft.
Ottam (Sports/Coming-of-Age) — A runner outruns expectations, not memories.
Koodaram (Friendship/Comedy) — Roommates make rent—and a family.
Ulsavam (Festival/Drama) — A village ritual tests faith and forgiveness.
Thalir (Romance) — First love in a rubber plantation grows against odds.
Kazhcha (Mystery) — A photographer develops more than pictures.

Sun NXT (Tamil)

Backed by a legacy network, Sun NXT’s micro-dramas wear cinematic sheen: bold melodrama, moral turns, and punch-line payoffs. It’s classic Tamil flavour—compressed for the swipe.

Top Sun NXT titles:

Minnal Hero Shorts (Superhero/Comedy) — A small-town do-gooder with powers and very little plan.
Pennin Manadhai Thottu (Romantic Melodrama) — A heart learns new rules in a city that won’t slow down.
Chinna Kutty Kathai (Children/Folk) — Old tales retold with winks and wordplay.
Veedu (Family Saga) — An ancestral house stages modern battles.
Saavu (Dark Thriller) — A moral debt demands payment in secrets.
Kadhal FM (Rom-Com) — Radio dedications, real feelings, mistaken identities.
Oru Nimidam (Suspense) — Sixty seconds to choose the rest of your life.
Uravugal (Drama) — Bonds that stretch without breaking—until they do.
Kuruthi Veedu (Horror) — Housewarming, but the guest of honour is unseen.
Neram (Crime) — A courier’s wrong turn becomes everyone’s fate.
Sangu (Social) — A parai drummer fights silence with sound.
Sutradhar (Mystery) — The storyteller is hiding in the story.

Kannada Originals (across apps)

Kannada micro-dramas are bubbling across app shelves and YouTube lanes: folklore repurposed for jump-scares, Bengaluru rom-coms with startup slang, and village morality tales with sly humour.

Top Kannada titles:

Kathegalu (Folklore/Drama) — Ghosts and heroes return with modern anxieties.
Preeti Shortcuts (Romance) — Dating, DMs, and detours through Sarjapur traffic.
Ondu Ratri (Horror) — A farmhouse, five friends, and a promise no one should’ve made.
Guru Shishya (Comedy-Drama) — Tuition class lessons no syllabus planned.
Dharani (Social Drama) — Land deeds and lives entwined.
Metro Mallige (Rom-Com) — A florist and a coder grow something unlikely.
Churumuri (Comedy) — Street-food banter seasons life decisions.
Udyoga (Workplace) — Offer letters, office politics, and a spine discovered.
Kivi (Crime) — A witness hears more than the law can handle.
Benki (Thriller) — A fire reveals the arson at a family’s core.
Hosa Dina (Slice-of-Life) — A new day tries to fix an old one.
Bhumi (Mystery) — A real-estate deal digs up the past.

Punjabi & Bhojpuri Shorts (YouTube & Apps)

In Punjabi and Bhojpuri, micro-dramas thrive in open ecosystems: music-soaked romances, rural family clashes, swaggering heroes, and comic capers. Discovery is YouTube-led; fandom is loyal and loud.

Top Punjabi/Bhojpuri titles:

Dil Da Scene (Punjabi Romance) — College love staged between lectures and langar.
Pind Di Kahani (Punjabi Family) — In a close-knit village, every joy is public.
Laal Chunariya (Bhojpuri Musical-Drama) — A song becomes a promise and a test.
Gharwali Baharwali (Bhojpuri Comedy) — A household juggles too many in-laws and zero boundaries.
Saajanwa (Bhojpuri Romance) — A city job meets a village vow halfway.
Gallan Goodiyaan (Punjabi Comedy) — A scooter, a secret, and cousins who know everything.
Sarpanch Saab (Punjabi Social) — Young leadership meets old rules.
Kaashi Express (Bhojpuri Drama) — A train journey rewrites three destinies.
Rabb Rakha (Punjabi Faith/Romance) — Love that keeps faith when people don’t.
Hamar Hero (Bhojpuri Action) — A mechanic takes on the muscle he used to fix.
Nai Soch (Punjabi Youth) — A startup pitch collides with family pride.
Suhagan (Bhojpuri Melodrama) — A bride carries a house and her heart.

Gujarati Digital Shorts

Gujarati micro-dramas lean witty and warm: tea-time debates, small-business hustles, and Ahmedabad love stories with a nod to theatre. The humour is bone-dry; the emotions aren’t.

Top Gujarati titles:

Chai Pe Charcha (Family Comedy) — Generations spar over biscuits and big decisions.
Prem No Rang (Romance) — A muralist and a math whiz try to colour within lines.
Vyapari (Social/Drama) — A small trader learns the cost of growth.
Be Fariyad (Crime) — A neighbourhood file clerk knows too much.
Masti Ni Moj (Comedy-Drama) — Friends translate slang—and adulthood.
Baa Bytes (Comedy) — A grandmother becomes an accidental influencer.
Pol Khol (Mystery) — Society politics mask a very real crime.
Patang (Coming-of-Age) — A kite string ties a boy to a future he didn’t expect.
Navratri Nights (Rom-Com) — Nine evenings, one promise, many near-misses.
Haalvui (Satire) — Sweet shop wars turn bitter.
Cheque-Mate (Workplace) — An audit becomes a reckoning.
Dhandho Diaries (Entrepreneur/Drama) — A startup pitches honesty in a world that bargains everything.

Kannada/Tamil/Telugu across apps

Because creators often publish beyond a single app, this lane spotlights elastic IPs—mini-franchises that show up as compilations or second seasons on multiple shelves.

Top cross-app picks:

Parva (Kannada Thriller) — A vanished journalist, a case everyone wants closed.
Kaatru (Tamil Romance) — A nurse and a saxophonist find harmony between shifts.
Vana (Telugu Mystery) — Forest patrols, poachers, and a truth older than the trees.
Bisi Bisi (Kannada Comedy) — A food cart serves mirth and wisdom.
Minsara (Tamil Tech-Noir) — A coder tracks a bug that bites back.
Chitra (Telugu Family) — A sketchbook witnesses a family’s undoing—and repair.
Ratri Katha (Kannada Horror) — Urban legends that live in PG hostels.
Varnam (Tamil Drama) — A painter restores a temple—and her faith.
Aakaasham (Telugu Romance) — Long-distance love under the same sky.
Lorry Stand (Kannada Slice-of-Life) — A pit stop for trucks, a start for stories.
Paavai (Tamil Mystery) — A missing idol, a found courage.
Pushpam (Telugu Melodrama) — A flower seller refuses to wilt.

Treat this as your starter watchlist beyond Hindi.

If you crave literary thrillers and mood, open Hoichoi.

For South-cinema pace and polish, head to aha and Sun NXT.

If you want intimate realism with craft, pick ManoramaMAX or Planet Marathi.

For creator-led swagger and open discovery, explore Kannada Originals, Punjabi & Bhojpuri Shorts, and Gujarati Digital Shorts.

Also check (The MEDIABRIEF Micro-drama viewer’s guide – 10 platforms, 120+ synopses)

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