RuPay has launched a microdrama IP, Tiny Talkies, in partnership with tgthr. Originals, the content division of tgthr.

The first story, Sarva Groom Sampanna (Encompassing all grooms), is a nine-episode romantic family microdrama set against the familiar dynamics of India’s arranged marriage ecosystem.

Conceptualised, written and produced by tgthr. Originals, the series follows Arya, a 27-year-old navigating the process of finding a suitable groom, while dealing with a family that approaches every prospective match with its own set of opinions and expectations.

Within this setting, RuPay products are incorporated into the storyline as plot devices rather than presented through conventional advertising inserts.

The trailer of the first season has been released, and can be viewed here.

Pragati Rana, regional creative officer – west, head of originals and founding partner, tgthr, said, “RuPay team is visionary. They don’t think just of today, but of where tomorrow is going to be. That's where our thinking aligns. The truth is that brands need vertical micro-dramas. Because they need stories people can't stop watching. The hard part is distilling a brand brief into one powerful idea and then building a story so engaging that people lean in before they even realise they're engaging with the brand. That's where tgthr. is uniquely built. We have people who've spent years decoding briefs, whether they are two lines long or twenty pages long, alongside storytellers who can craft content people actually watch. That combination helps brands make the leap from advertising to entertainment. Sarva Groom Sampanna is what that leap looks like. The brand doesn't interrupt the story. It earns its place in it."

Aalap Desai, chief creative officer and co-founder, tgthr., series director, Sarva Groom Sampanna, added, “We’ve seen a lot of shows where the brand seems like an odd fit. The presence is there, but so is the hindrance. The real reason is that brands are added later, after the script is written. With this series, the brand was put at the centre from the very first briefing. That’s why it flows with the story rather than disturb it. And the best part is that we didn’t do anything different from what we would do on any other project. The RuPay team is wonderful, and everything from the briefing to the approvals happened as smoothly as it normally does with a good client. Creating and directing this new-age show has been an amazing journey.”

With Tiny Talkies and Sarva Groom Sampanna as its first story, RuPay plans to develop a slate of original, slice-of-life microdramas. The initiative signals the brand’s move towards using entertainment-led storytelling to integrate its products and propositions into longer-form narrative formats.