Superstar Rajinikanth launches India's first voice-based social media platform

Chennai: A voice-based social media platform - Hoote -co-founded by Tamil film superstar Rajinikanth's daughter Soundarya was launched by the actor on Monday. Announcing the official launch of Hoote, Soundarya claimed that the app is India's first voice-based social media platform for the world, from Chennai.

As Rajanikanth, Soundarya's father was in Delhi today to receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, he launched the Hoote by hooting a voice message in which he said, "those who can't read or write (too) can convey their voice messages."

"I hope this (Hoote) will become popular as other platforms like Facebook and Twitter," Rajinikanth said in Tamil and congratulated Soundarya for her initiative.

According to a PTI report, the platform offers a 60-second live voice recording option or to upload a recorded voice in 15 Indian and 10 foreign languages, of choice.

Soundarya Rajinikanth, who co-founded the app with Sunny Pokala said that the new app will "emotionally" connect iconic leaders with their fans in their own voices and native tongue.

"Hoote is the sound the owl makes and the white owl is considered as a symbol of wisdom and hence the name," she said.

"The entire voice message should be conveyed in 60 seconds and it is human to human interaction. The hooters can be anywhere in the world and could connect with private or public groups," Sunny said and adding that the app is AI-enabled.

Being multilingual the platform allows anyone who wants to be heard, to express through the unique voice in the language of choice. To use the Hoote app, one has to record an audio message for up to 60 seconds and share it with the world, they said.

"Voice is one of the most empowering and authentic ways to communicate and express one's views and opinions Hoote can be used as a platform to broadcast and link the world's most renowned voices and also the voices of the common people both on important issues well as to create powerful human relationships," Soundarya said.

Soundarya said that the idea to have a voice-based app came into her mind when her father who was working on the film 'Annaatthe' shoot in Hyderabad, sent her a voice note.

"This inspired me to come up with a platform to connect celebrities or leaders with their fans or followers by enabling them to hear the original voice speak in the native language," she told reporters during the launch function.

"On January 4, I sent a small proposal to Sunny, CEO of Amtex, and in February 2021 we started building the product. Today is day one of the launch," Soundarya said.

"Appa (father) knows to read many languages including Tamil. But he finds it rather difficult to write in Tamil. He was the inspiration behind Hoote. Tweet is more of words but here, in Hoote, it is full of emotion," Soundarya said and added that not only celebrities but also anyone could connect with the people or private groups in their own languages.

"Currently, we are working to include Sanskrit. Also, we are working on audio teasers on Hoote besides the translation of the messages," the filmmaker and entrepreneur said.

Sunny is known for creating Kavalan, a mobile citizen safety app in India and Securra, a disruptive healthcare platform in New York.

Girish Mathrubootham, the founder of Freshworks and Arvind Parthasarathi, tech entrepreneur from Silicon Valley, are advisors, Soundarya said