Wildlife conservationist Suyash Keshari creates India's first OTT platform dedicated solely to the wild

“What we can see, we can love. And what we can love, we will fight to protect," believes Suyash Keshari, a 25-year-old wildlife presenter, filmmaker and conservationist. Keshari is now gearing up to release India's first exclusive OTT platform for wildlife content. Safari with Suyash – TV will go live on October 9 and will offer virtual safari tours, promising raw and real wildlife experiences. 

The platform will go live on the website: tv.suyashkeshari.com along with a trailer giving a sneak peek into the content. This will be a paid platform, priced at Rs 5,000. This will give members access to five virtual safaris in 4K UHD quality, which will be about two hours each, 10 live interactive sessions with the crew, wallpapers, quizzes, competitions and more. The platform will launch one safari experience every weekend. The first experience will go live on October 17.

In a conversation with OTTplay, Suyash said, "We will be bringing the beauty, excitement and wonder of wildlife into people’s homes across the world. My goal is to tell stories that would evoke passion in hearts and minds across the world and urge them to play their part in conserving our beautiful natural heritage." 

The wildlife filmmaker and conservationist believes that safaris are one of the best ways to connect with the wild. "When you are on a safari, you learn about different species and their behaviours, the conservation issues that surround that species and the entire habitat. You learn to appreciate the fresh air, sounds of birds, the texture of the soil, and the relationship between different animals, trees, shrubs, birds and even the soil. All of this develops a deeper and more meaningful connection with nature. People also learn not to fear but rather have respect for wildlife," he said.

The content on the platform will carry strong messages on conservation issues, unlike the traditional TV shows. He added, "Most importantly, we wanted something that can be completely raw, authentic, and unfiltered. The production by the likes of Animal Planet, Nat Geo and BBC are mind-blowing but these productions are scripted, dramatic, and planned to a tee, which often takes away the authenticity of a being in a jungle."

Suyash is confident that his platform offering compelling ideas and experiences will yield great results. "We are pretty certain that it can reach a good audience," he said.   

Though at the moment, the content will be created by Suyash and his team, he said, he does have plans to collaborate with other wildlife filmmakers to build a larger platform for wildlife content in future. 

Growing up in central India, Suyash said he has always been close to wildlife. He always enjoyed going to the jungles for his holidays, sit in the summer heat of 45 degrees celsius to watch the fish and birds, climb trees and pluck fruits to have a bite with the inmates of the tree, and watch animal planet and discovery while kids his age enjoyed watching cartoon network. After schooling, he moved to the United States for his graduation where he studied political advocacy, entrepreneurship and journalism and took up a job in Washington DC. He quit his job in 2019 to pursue his deep-seated love and passion for wildlife. While these courses were nothing related to filming or wildlife, they helped him shape his personality and develop a knack for entrepreneurship. "It also equipped me with tools to tell the most compelling stories to impact policy decisions and influence minds across the world, he said.

Suyash went on to work on several projects with WWF International, with Animal Planet as a live host, and has published several papers and columns about wildlife conservation in national and international newspapers and magazines. Suyash loves what he does and sharing them with others. "There’s nothing more fulfilling in this world than getting people to fall in love with the things you are in love with yourself," he said.