Is the online Shradh service via live video call genuinely effective?

Yes, within the scriptural framework of Pratinidhi Shradh (proxy performance). The ceremony is performed by a qualified pandit at the actual sacred Tirth — not a studio or symbolic location. The difference is that you are present in mind, intention, and live witness rather than physically at the ghat. You provide your name, Gotra, and ancestral details. The pandit invokes your presence through the Sankalpa. This approach has been accepted in Dharmashastra for situations where the family member cannot travel.