Haryana, India: India’s rural landscape is undergoing a transformation as start-ups like STAGE create content tailored for local audiences. STAGE has turned farmers’ homes in Haryana into film sets, producing over 200 films since 2019.
“Batta”, a high-octane drama about power and injustice, is just the latest in half-a-dozen movies under production in the area.
STAGE makes content for largely under-served provincial audiences, keeping hyper-local tastes, dialectical quirks and the rural cultural syntax in mind. There are 19,500 different dialects in India, and STAGE has identified 18 that are spoken by a large enough population to merit their own film industry.
The app currently offers content in two languages – Rajasthani and Haryanvi. It has three million paying subscribers and is planning to expand and include other dialects like Maithili and Konkani, which are spoken in north-east and coastal-west India, respectively.
Vinay Singhal, founder of STAGE said that, “We’re also on the verge of closing a funding round from an American venture capitalist firm to expand into these territories.” Singhal, appeared along with his co-founders on the Indian version of Shark Tank, a business reality show, a year ago.
In Haryana, farmers’ homes near Rohtak have become popular movie sets, driven by innovative start-ups like STAGE. This shift not only provides a new source of income for locals but also brings a unique cultural flavor to filmmaking.
As the rural film industry flourishes, it highlights the region’s untapped potential, attracting both talent and investment while creating a vibrant hub for storytelling that resonates with provincial audiences.
STAGE is one among a growing number of Indian start-ups that are betting big on the rural market opportunity as the next growth frontier. Others include players like Agrostar and DeHaat.
While a bulk of India’s 1.4 billion people still live in its 650,000 villages, they’ve hardly been a market for its booming tech start-ups so far.
As STAGE continues to grow and tap into the vast rural market of India, it not only fosters local talent but also empowers communities by providing them with a platform to share their stories.
The emerging film industry in Haryana illustrates a significant shift in how rural areas are perceived, showcasing their potential as vibrant cultural hubs. With continued investment and innovation, STAGE may pave the way for a new era of entertainment that resonates deeply with diverse audiences across the country.