The rise and rise of Ullu

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Editor's note: The room was packed. At a top-notch hotel in an upmarket Mumbai locality, people were gathered to celebrate a successful year in the business. The ceremony wasn’t too fancy, just a small gathering of writers, producers, actors, directors, musicians and corporate executives—all waiting for someone to take the stage. Many in the crowd had been nominated for creating some outstanding films that year. The room was brimming with anticipation. The organizer of the event was a Delhi-based video streaming platform called Ullu and some of the movie titles that were the highlights of the evening included “CharmSukh” (literally “pleasure of the skin”), “Dance Bar”,  “#MeToo Wolf of Bollywood” and “Mona Home Delivery”. You’ve likely never heard of Ullu or any of its productions. Unlike global streaming platforms like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, or the homegrown likes of Hotstar, ALTBalaji and Zee5, Ullu targets audiences largely in small Indian cities and towns. The content, largely produced in Hindi and regional languages, leans almost entirely towards the erotic, though it has more to do with the idea of nudity and sex …