India is a land of dreamers. And the Indian film and theatre industry is where thousands of these dreamers come to die. Every day, hundreds of new aspirants come to Mumbai and other major cities with the hopes of making it in the world’s largest film industry. But only a chosen few make it, in the true sense, leaving the others in a sea of faceless ‘extras’, namelessly drifting through the film world, their work making no mark other than the holes in their pockets. With the advent of social media, some of the talent hidden in the small towns, villages, and hinterland of India managed to subvert the mainstream media. People, especially those creating OTT content, realised the economic potential of stories from the hinterland - where the vast majority of the consumers of digital, film, and entertainment content in India actually live - and suddenly, all content platforms were flooded with subaltern, regional scripts and faces. But years before the now-banned TikTok low-key marketed itself as a platform for the artistic expression of rural youth in India, a young theatre enthusiast from Uttar Pradesh had realised this creative potential and decided to create a platform that could help these hidden “kalakars” (artists) showcase their talents to the world.