The future of Indian storytelling!

MatruBharti is an Indian digital platform that empowers vernacular writers and readers to connect, create, and share original stories, novels, poetry, and videos in multiple regional languages. Founded by Mahendra Sharma and Nilesh Shah, it has grown into one of India’s leading self-publishing and storytelling communities Today, they empower over 100,000 authors and hosts more than 10 million pieces of content, reaching a staggering 100 million visitors.. Here, Mahendra A. Sharma, Founder & CEO, MatruBharti, shares his vision of India’s evolving storytelling ecosystem—from mobile-first engagement and regional language content to AI-driven narratives, immersive experiences, and the rise of new authors in the digital space.

AABP: How do you see the future of digital storytelling evolving in India over the next 5 to 10 years?

Mahendra: Digital storytelling is evolving from Text to Audio visual formats, while there are still text format lovers but gradual shift is seen towards Audio visual formats, specially the Genz is more interested in formats that can engage them anywhere.

Regional language content has created a huge market opportunity for content creators and publishers. While schooling in India has shifted to English as native language, regional language along with its cultural connect has given a boost to various content formats and it is going to grow in times to come.

AABP: How has the rise of mobile internet and affordable data impacted Indian storytellers and readers?

Mahendra: Affordable internet has made people consume more content and interact with content more often, so barriers are removed, that means people see this as their daily dose of entertainment instead of just an occasional engagement.

AABP: What technologies (e.g., AI, AR/VR) do you think will shape the next wave of storytelling experiences in India?

Mahendra: AI has changed the landscape of storytelling, creation of content was never so easy before AI, that means more content varieties will be served. AR /VR are going to change the way people interact with content, earlier we were listeners and viewers , there is going to be the time when we will become characters of the story or we might be virtually present in the story.

AABP: What opportunities do you see for new and emerging authors in the Indian digital storytelling space?

Mahendra: Creative storytelling has a long way to go, now with the use of AI you can write the stories having unlimited fantasy and fiction, you can research facts much faster and easier before writing the story. So stories will be more entertaining from new authors.

AABP: How can digital platforms like MatruBharti help regional or niche writers reach a wider audience?

Mahendra: As a platform our job is to make the right match, we bring an audience for the writers, so they never fall short of their share of praise and respect. With our consistent marketing efforts, authors are encouraged to stay competitive and keep a watch on their statistics.

AABP: What challenges do Indian authors face today when publishing their work online, and how do you see these changing in the near future?

Mahendra: Many authors believe their online content is not safe, which is not true, infact releasing online under their profile is a proof of originality of content and they can go after any copyright infringement using their online presence.

AABP: How are audience preferences shifting when it comes to the kinds of stories they want to read or experience?

Mahendra: People were interested in facts a few years ago, now the fiction is taking over and that too the super fantasy content is more popular. Younger generation wants longer formats of content served in shorter episodes with a defined frequency, that keeps them entertained for more days or hours compared to one big format.

AABP: Do you see Indian storytelling increasingly influencing global content trends, or will it stay more localized?

Mahendra: India will stay local first, as we have our own culture and our own way of storytelling. Staying original is the key, the world wants to know the Indian way of living and we can present it by our original content. We see Chinese, Korean and American content, they have their culture in their content, same is true for us.

AABP: What monetization models do you foresee becoming dominant for digital authors in India (e.g., subscriptions, micropayments, ad-supported)?

Mahendra: Micropayments are becoming more popular, subscription would continue and ad supported models might struggle.

AABP: How important will community-building and reader engagement be for the future success of storytelling platforms?

Mahendra: Building a community for audio visual content is no longer a need, as people have their own opinions and they don’t wait for other’s opinions except checking for star rating of the content.

AABP: If you could predict one major transformation in the Indian storytelling ecosystem by 2030, what would it be?

Mahendra: We will have stories around us which will change the way we want them, we will build our own characters and self-running story with AI based on our own liking, so a story might have different end for you and me both.