Brothers Launch Netflix for 700+ Indian Dialects After $5M Loss

When Vinay Singhal lost his $5 million viral content company WittyFeed without warning, he returned to his village in Haryana's Dhiwani district wondering what came next. What he found there sparked an idea that would employ thousands and bring entertainment to millions who'd been ignored by mainstream media.

Back home in Noonsar, Singhal noticed something obvious yet overlooked. Everyone around him spoke Haryanvi, one of 700+ dialects used across India, but there wasn't a single web series, movie, or comedy show made for them. India had over 40 streaming platforms creating content in major languages like Hindi and Tamil, but the 70 million Rajasthani speakers and 100 million Bhojpuri speakers had nothing.

"Language is an urban concept," Singhal explains. "The moment you go beyond cities, you will find everybody speaking in a local dialect."

In 2019, Singhal launched STAGE with his brother Praveen and college friend Shashank Vaishnav. The platform started producing web series, standup comedy, poetry, and folk content entirely in regional dialects. Their first focus was Haryanvi, where 11 different dialects exist within one state.

The response proved them right. STAGE now has over 1 million app downloads and 225,000 paid subscribers in Haryana alone. The platform added Rajasthani content in June 2022 and has already gained 10,000 subscribers there, growing 30% monthly.

Shows like "Gangs of Haansipur" and the political drama "Sarpanch" finally give rural audiences entertainment that sounds like home. STAGE now offers over 400 hours of original content, with plans to expand into Bhojpuri, Magahi, and Maithili dialects targeting eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar next.

The Ripple Effect

STAGE created something bigger than entertainment. The platform employs over 1,500 artists and creators in Haryana and 500 in Rajasthan, giving jobs to talented performers who couldn't afford to move to Mumbai.

"Not everyone can go to Bombay," Singhal says. "Most of these creators and actors did not have a job before. They are now earning a livelihood."

The team works 100% remotely from headquarters in Noida, proving local industries can thrive without forcing talent to relocate. They're building what Singhal calls "local Bollywoods" across rural India.

After appearing on Shark Tank India Season 2, the founders shared how they'd learned from losing WittyFeed. Their biggest mistake was depending on third parties for content distribution. This time they built STAGE to survive even if banned from app stores, ensuring their local creators and audiences won't be left behind again.

Millions of Indians who speak dialects at home finally have entertainment made for them, not translated for them.