The big short

Micro dramas are all the rage, but their ability to make money remains a mystery

- VANITA KOHLI-KHANDEKAR

Shock, terror, disappointment, redemption, joy, achievement... How many emotions can you pack into two minutes? Turns out, many. That's the trick to making binge-worthy micro dramas — fictional shows of 2- to 3-minute episodes.

Each one of the 30-50 episodes has to end on a cliffhanger — or "the consumer can leave you. His finger is just one centimetre away from the screen," says Vinod Kumar Meena, cofounder, KuKu FM, which launched its micro-drama service, KuKu TV, this February.

Go through any of the hundreds of micro dramas, such as Rented Husband, Love Potion, or I Wish it Were You, and it is evident that they are not about subtlety, quality of talent, or writing. They are cheap, snacky programming to go.

"There are moments in the day when consumers are looking for short, thumb-scrolling kind of content," says Amogh Dusad, director and head of content, Amazon MX Player. "The same consumer who binge-watches series on weeknights may be watching micro dramas in the daytime." Amazon MX Player's micro drama play, MX Fatafat, is expected later this year.

"You see them so fast that you don't know how much you have consumed," adds Sameer Mody, founder and managing director, Pocket Films. The short film aggregator launched micro dramas in May this year.

Snackability, low cost, and an ability to titillate consumers into spending more time than they intended has made micro dramas all the rage globally.

In China, Korea, and India — the three big micro-drama markets — the action has been relentless.