Mumbai: The Media and Entertainment industry has emerged as one of the most dynamic and fast-evolving sectors, driven by changing consumer preferences, digital adoption, and the growing demand for personalized content.
Within this ecosystem, OTT platforms have transformed the way content is created, distributed, and consumed. They have enabled storytellers to move beyond traditional formats and reach audiences directly through digital-first models.
As mobile consumption continues to rise, OTT platforms are increasingly exploring short-form, vertical, and interactive formats that align with the viewing habits of modern audiences. In an industry shaped by creativity, technology, and constant disruption, leaders must possess the ability to identify emerging trends, take calculated risks, empower creators, and build platforms that balance artistic vision with business scalability. One such leader is Rohit Gupta, Founder of Reeloid.
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Sep 24, 2026A chemical engineer by qualification, Rohit’s professional journey began with an IT startup focused on assessments and examination systems.
However, his passion always remained rooted in storytelling, design, creativity, and the arts.
This passion led him to create documentaries and short films. His first documentary won the Best Documentary Award at the Rajasthan International Film Festival, while one of his short films was later selected in the short film section at the Cannes International Film Festival.
Over the years, Rohit has continued developing documentaries, short films, and creative concepts. He is currently working on a major documentary with the Indian Navy, chronicling the recreation of a 5th-century ship, a project that has been in production for over two years and has also been acknowledged by the Prime Minister through a public tweet.
With Reeloid, Rohit marks another major milestone, bringing storytelling into a mobile-first, vertical-format era.
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Sep 23, 2026What inspired you to define this unique niche in the highly competitive OTT ecosystem?
The idea for Reeloid emerged in 2021 when I was working on vertical video content and realized that storytelling itself could be adapted to a vertical, mobile-first format. Along with my team, I created a 12-minute vertical drama divided into one-minute episodes. At that time, the concept was ahead of the market, and most platforms were hesitant to adopt it. We eventually released it independently and received encouraging feedback. That experience convinced me that storytelling must evolve with audience behavior. Reeloid was born from this belief, combining the cinematic essence of celluloid with the accessibility of mobile-first content.
"Our goal is to leverage advanced tools to improve efficiency and audience experience while preserving the creative integrity and emotional depth of storytelling"
How do you ensure the platform consistently delivers engaging and differentiated viewing experiences?
Our approach is centered on authentic human stories. While AI can support production planning and content analysis, storytelling remains a deeply human craft. We work closely with talented writers and creators who understand character development and emotional storytelling. Rather than chasing trends, we focus on creating relatable, character driven narratives that resonate with audiences. Whether it is romance, drama, horror, or slice-of life content, our goal is to build genuine emotional connections. By prioritizing originality and strong story telling fundamentals, we ensure that Reeloid offers a viewing experience that feels both engaging and distinct.
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In a fast-paced micro-content ecosystem, how do you maintain story telling quality, production value, and audience retention across multiple genres and creators?
Maintaining quality starts with under standing the audience while staying true to authentic storytelling. Strong hooks are important, but relatability is what ultimately drives engagement. Instead of replicating formats that have worked in other markets, we focus on uniquely Indian stories that reflect real aspirations, emotions, and experiences. One of our early success stories centered on a woman entrepreneur starting a cloud kitchen, which resonated strongly with viewers. We create content for specific audience segments rather than trying to appeal to everyone. This
focused approach helps us maintain both storytelling quality and audience retention.
With emerging capabilities like AI assisted content adaptation and vertical reformatting of legacy content, how is Reeloid leveraging technology to redefine content creation and distribution?
Technology is one of Reeloid’s biggest strengths. We have built our own indigenous technology platform, which allows us to innovate independently and experiment with new business models beyond traditional subscriptions or advertising. Owning our technology stack gives us greater flexibility and scalability. We also use AI across several stages of production, including planning, post-production, and content optimization. However, technology is an enabler, not a replacement for creativity. Our goal is to leverage advanced tools to improve efficiency and audience experience while preserving the creative integrity and emotional depth of storytelling.
Looking ahead, what is your long-term vision for Reeloid, and how do you plan to position it as a global leader in the vertical OTT and mobile-first entertain -ment space?
My vision for Reeloid is to become a global destination for vertical storytelling while showcasing authentic Indian narratives to international audiences. We want to explore diverse genres, experiment with innovative formats, and build stories that resonate across cultures. As the platform grows, we also aim to use audience insights and performance analytics to identify concepts that can evolve into larger entertainment properties, including feature films and long-format productions. Ultimately, I see Reeloid leading the evolution of mobile-first entertainment by combining technology, creativity, and storytelling in ways that redefine how audiences consume content.
Rohit Gupta, Founder, Reeloid
Rohit Gupta is a filmmaker, story teller, and entrepreneur, and the Founder of Reeloid, India’s first vertical, mobile-first OTT platform. A chemical engineer by education, he transitioned into creative story telling, earning recognition at the Rajasthan International Film Festival and Cannes. He continues to innovate through documentaries, films, and next generation digital entertainment plat forms.
