Rahul Humayun, Phanindra Sama, Rishikesh, Rohit Chennamaneni, Rana Daggubati, Anurag Reddy, Sharth Chandra, Ravi Shankar, and Krishna Mohan.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Chai Bisket, a well known player in Telugu digital entertainment for over a decade, formally launched Chai Shots, positioned as India’s first regional short-series OTT platform, in Hyderabad. The short series platform is tailored for the ‘third screen’ — the smartphone.
According to the founders Anurag Reddy and Sharat Chandra, Chai Shots offers vertical, scripted entertainment with episodes under two minutes, aiming to convert everyday moments into storytelling experiences.
The initiative is backed by Info Edge Ventures and General Catalyst, and hopes to change the entertainment consumption in India, moving beyond doom scrolling to structured storytelling.
During the launch event, Chai Shots announced ‘The Creator Gateway’, a direct-access portal for storytellers to pitch ideas to the platform without middlemen. Chai Shots promises a streamlined process by which those pitching stories can get hassle-free approvals, shoot and release their content within 45 days.
A ₹20 crore creator fund was announced with an intention of collaborating with over 200 creators over the next six months to create original shows and empower new writers, directors, and actors.
Chai Shots has raised a $5 million Seed Round from Info Edge Ventures and General Catalyst.
The angel investors include actor-producer Rana Daggubati, Sriharsha Majety and Nandan Reddy (founders, Swiggy), Phanindra Sama (founder, RedBus), Alakh Pandey and Prateek Maheshwari (founders, PhysicsWallah), Aravind Sanka, Pavan Guntupalli and Rishikesh SR (founders, Rapido), Rohit Chennamaneni (co-founder, Darwinbox), and Amar Nagaram (founder, Virgio).
Speaking during the launch, Rana Daggubati stated, “Storytelling has always been at the core of what excites me. Anurag and Sharath are true disruptors of the Telugu Film Industry.”
Producer Ravi Yelamanchili of Mythri Movie Makers commended the shots OTT as a “wonderful place for young creators to sprout into mainstream entertainment.”
Sharath Chandra, the co-founder and CEO of Chai Bisket’s Chai Shot OTT, said, “India is ready for this revolution, and the new era of entertainment starts in Hyderabad.” Co-founder and CCO Anurag Reddy added, “We don’t just create content; we create creators. We are launching with more than 75 original shows.”
Chai Shots begins with Telugu content and will soon expand into Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, and Assamese. The app is now available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Published – December 10, 2025 02:51 pm IST
