In less than a year, Kusum Communications has emerged as a notable name in India’s rapidly evolving vertical drama space, crossing more than 255 million cumulative views across a portfolio of over 14 original titles.
At the centre of this journey is producer Ritu Vaidya, whose transition from corporate media and production into fiction storytelling has helped shape Kusum Communications into a mobile-first content studio with ambitions that extend far beyond short-form vertical drama.
From Corporate Production to Fiction Storytelling
Ritu Vaidya began her media career in 2014, building experience across event management, production management and corporate filmmaking. Her professional journey included associations with brands and organisations such as Discovery Kids, Fever FM, Hindustan Times and Omnicom Media.
Working in corporate environments gave her a strong foundation in project management, systems, execution and production discipline. Over time, however, her interest moved increasingly toward fiction and audience-driven storytelling.
That shift eventually led to the development of Kusum Communications and its focus on vertical drama — a format designed primarily for mobile audiences consuming episodic stories on their smartphones.
Building Kusum Communications Around Mobile-First Storytelling
Founded in 2020, Kusum Communications entered the vertical drama space with a clear focus on producing stories suited to the changing habits of digital audiences.
The studio has since produced more than 14 vertical drama titles, with its content appearing across platforms including Kuku TV, Wow TV, Story TV, Winzo TV, Tangy TV and Viralo TV.
The scale of the company’s early success is reflected in its cumulative viewership, which has crossed the 255 million mark.
One of its biggest breakthroughs came with Coolie Ki Diamond Dulhaniya, directed by Shadaab Mirza. The title crossed 100 million views within two months of its release and has since reached approximately 130 million views.
Other titles from the studio include Chuppa Rustom, Meri Sanki Dulhaniya, Don Dolly Aur Dulhaniya and Surrogate to Soulmate.
Where Business Discipline Meets Creative Storytelling
For Ritu Vaidya, the transition from corporate production to fiction did not mean leaving her earlier experience behind. Instead, she brought the systems and discipline of corporate production into the creative process.
That combination of business thinking and storytelling has become an important part of the philosophy behind Kusum Communications.
The company’s growth also reflects a broader change in the Indian entertainment landscape, where audiences are increasingly discovering stories through mobile-first formats and short episodic content.
Vertical drama offers creators the opportunity to experiment with faster storytelling, compact episodes and highly engaging narratives designed around smartphone viewing habits.
Beyond Vertical Drama
While vertical drama has provided Kusum Communications with its initial growth platform, the company’s ambitions extend beyond the format.
The studio is now looking toward web series, feature films and opportunities with global OTT platforms as it works toward becoming a broader content studio.
This expansion represents the next stage of the company’s journey: moving from a specialist vertical-drama producer toward a content company capable of creating stories across multiple formats and screens.
An upcoming association with JioHotstar Tadka is also part of this broader expansion strategy.
A New Chapter for Indian Content Creation
The rise of Kusum Communications highlights how quickly the Indian digital entertainment ecosystem is changing.
For Ritu Vaidya, the journey from corporate boardrooms to more than 255 million views demonstrates how production experience, business discipline and creative storytelling can come together to build a new kind of media company.
With more stories in development and expansion planned across web series, films and OTT platforms, Kusum Communications is entering its next phase with ambitions that go well beyond vertical drama.
The 255-million-view milestone may therefore be less a destination than a starting point for what comes next.
Media Coverage
The journey of Ritu Vaidya and Kusum Communications has been featured across leading Indian business, news and media platforms. Read the published coverage below:
Outlook Business — Read the full story
The Wire — Read the full story
Press Trust of India — Read the press release
The Tribune — Read the full story
Dailyhunt — Read the full story
