I took Dolly Singh’s interview a while ago about her journey, content creation and more!
Avni Jain
What according to you was the hardest part in being an influencer?
Dolly Singh
Being Relevant. I mean, this is how the internet works it truly keeps changing every minute so to be able to keep up with that and to be able to make your work keep up with those times and trends, I think that’s quite difficult to do. But most people these days are using it. So, I think they have gotten the hang of it by now you see it.
Avni Jain
So, you were recently featured in Netflix’s new original. How has that journey of making videos to being in an actor treated you?
Dolly Singh
Um, the journey has been quite fulfilling. Yeah, I mean, it was like a dream come true. So that in itself means like a huge deal. Otherwise, I feel like it obviously has had its own complications and problems and challenges because you know, at one point, I’m just making videos with my camera in front of me just reacting to my own things doing multiple characters. And then I move on to a set with like hundreds of people, each having a different job and then multiple actors who are reacting to the to every dialogue you’re saying. Right, yeah. So that in itself is such a leap to take and it can be horrifying which it was for the first few days. But I think after that it was just, it just felt amazing to be on the set and now after the show is out and the kind of response that it has gotten. I think that has meant everything every part of it what I love
Avni Jain
I just said you have played a lot of correct characters in your videos, which characters did you relate the most to?
Dolly Singh
me, the most to, I think, for the longest time I mean I relate to most of my all my characters because most of them are you know the iconic characters or the women who are dealing with their own lives you know in their own ways. So in terms of that, I feel like I relate to each one of them, whether it’s Raju ki Mummy or Zeenath in terms of like, Personal life I think at some point I related to Zeenath because if you know just like trying to find love and you know like all those things, then there is a good deep Javi who’s trying to always deal with, you know what the society says a lot of families saying some things I feel like as a woman you can relate to these characters so easily. Yeah. All of them are quite relatable.
Avni Jain
Do you feel that social media is a safe space to talk about mental illness?
Dolly Singh
It has come around to be I feel, I think more and more people are doing so and that’s that has made it safer for everyone to be a little more honest with who they are on the internet I feel, of course, there’s still, you know, a big section of the society or as a big section of people on the internet who still project to me someone else or you know just like project unrealistic beauty standards and standards of lifestyle and living and you know like different things but then there is a new wave of influencers or people with some kind of following who are trying to make that place, a little better a little more realistic. And I think that definitely makes you feel safe to be able to kind of go around and be honest about it.
Avni Jain
Yes, yes, I get that. 2020 might have challenged you as a creator, as a person. How did you grow from it.
Dolly Singh
2020 was just having your beer all stock, so, I think the challenges faced by everyone was kind of similar which brought us all together. Also, and as just a creator I feel in the job that I have. The only challenge was to be able to do something which people like something just by yourself, you can’t have a team. And then the challenge the second challenge was to only make content which was, you know, which made sense at that point like in the lockdown if I talk about travelling or make a meme on, you know like, what it like what it’s like to eat a restaurant, that is not going to work right. People want to see what they are relating to at that point and at that point, the only thing they related to was being stuck and being in the lockdown and not being able to do something so. So we had to choose, you know, themes and content and ideas, which only related to that particular box and that was a such a small deck narrow area to follow on, but it also made us think out of the out of the box and made us go beyond, you know, literally put a lot of effort into thinking what will work what will not work, bring that up, bring out a new video every day because so many people were watching videos at that point because engagement was crazy everybody was stuck at homes, just watching you know videos on their phone so we have as creator we had a great chance to really capture that and capture that engagement and following, and all of that. So we evolved I think creators work a little more than they usually do because of just trying to make use of this new wave of people who are, you know, constantly on their phones.
Avni Jain
Yeah, I totally get that. So, what motivated you to create, to keep creating content?
Dolly Singh
Just the fact that I think just two things. The first, as I said, just the fact that there are people that are like, I think maybe triple of four times more people watching these videos now, and sharing them and you know just basically from a business point of view it’s a good time to grow. So that motivated me to keep going, even in a situation and most people were depressed, being stuck in their homes and we were trying to just, you know, put on a smiling face, you know, like laughs laughing face and then just do comedy. Second, I think motivation would. And the biggest motivation would actually be getting constant messages from people, a lot of people would just miss it saying that you know we were having such a bad day and thank you for posting this video, it has really brought a smile to my face, or your videos are what keep us, you know to keep us going and, you know, things like that because I feel like at that point of time especially when the logo had just started we were also clueless about what’s happening and the whole world shut down and we didn’t know what is going to happen and when it’s going to open on, you know all these things, it would uncertainty was quite saddening and I think videos like these, especially when it comes to comedy I think that really helped people cope with whatever they were going through. So, I think just that motivation that you are bringing smiles on so many people’s faces I think that was enough motivation for us to keep going.
Avni Jain
According to you what was the most important aspect in being the being a creator, an influencer?
Dolly Singh
Ah, the most important aspect would, would be to be, again like to be true to yourself, because all friends, people you know the especially right now. So many trends are happening so many new things are coming up so people think can be difficult and you know we are, we are eligible to go viral and become famous. But that generally doesn’t work to be to the only way to go. Yeah, just to kind of also have fun with who you are I feel like maybe you have a talent which you haven’t really shown and you’re just trying to maybe you know you see dancing videos on the internet so you’re also dancing, but maybe your heart lies somewhere else maybe you’re better at, you know, probably, singing, or just doing dialogues or writing, and you know writing scripts or something like that or making funny videos for that matter so you know it could be anything else but sometimes I feel people get swayed Away, Away by whatever other people are doing and they’re like maybe a cut-down or cut. Yeah, so that I think makes it difficult for that person but I feel like feel from the beginning try and guess what it is or try and come to terms with who you are and guess what you can do better than anybody else and portray that as a creator and, you know, focus on those things I think that in itself will make it so much easier for that person and as a creator, I think the growth, there would be much more because the passion and the love lie there, not just copying other people. Yeah.
Avni Jain
What do you feel is your biggest achievement since the beginning?
Dolly Singh
Ah, my biggest achievement. If I have to go home for me just these two things, I think would be buying the house mapping, like if we talk about obviously materialistic things. And obviously featuring in the Netflix show now. I think those two have been, of course, the highlights of this year and especially of the shittier. I think these two were like good news in my life. If so, yeah. Otherwise, my achievements would be just, meaning you know being able to live the life that I do is having so much privilege. So, yeah, that’s enough achievement. Yeah.
Avni Jain
And as a child, did you ever imagine yourself being an actor or influencer?
Dolly Singh
When, when I was a child, influencer wasn’t a thing right like Internet even internet wasn’t a thing back then so I don’t think I mean people now I guess when they grow up, they probably want to become an influencer maybe you know childhood as an influencer, an actor, maybe yes, I mean I always want to be famous I just never said it. You know out loud so. Even in my diary once I wrote that I want to be famous, but I don’t think I can act so maybe I’ll sing. For the longest time, I remember I tried becoming a singer. Also, I used to sing and make my friends listen to my horrible singing. I think that the thought of not being an actor also came from the fact that I thought I don’t look good enough, you know to be an actor, which is also changing now like looks are not as important your talent is. But no, I really, I feel like yeah, I always wanted to but I just thought. It’s not going to happen so I never said it.
Avni Jain
I’m so glad you got to do it. And we got to see you! Who was your role model growing up?
Dolly Singh
I mean if we talk about this industry I don’t really see anyone being my role model per se, I was just intrigued by everyone who I used to watch on TV you know my mom has to watch a lot of cereals, or if I’m watching a movie I was just like, I just wanted to swap places like if I would see a child actor in a movie, I would be like, why am I not there. Why is this child get getting to do what I want to do in life so I don’t think I had like a role model at that point. Growing up I think my priorities were different I was in love with Harry Potter and like I want to get famous more because of that so that Harry Potter knows of who I am and you know like things like that. But I definitely was, I mean I used to follow a lot of not follow celebrities. I would, you know, I would get the newspaper and the first thing I would read is the celebrity section and the page three and all these things because I was like, what’s up with their lives, you know, that we’ll try and get as much information as I can even in that small town internet wasn’t there and I didn’t have a phone or anything for the longest time I got my first phone when I was in 12 standard so that was my way of just catching up and even just learning more about you know Bollywood and Hollywood and just how things work, who is doing what.
Avni Jain
And you’ll get to meet Daniel Radcliffe once. I guess that’s it. Also, Lastly, any advice to the ones who are getting into this field?
Dolly Singh
Ah, yeah the same advice only just to be consistent and just to be true to the, you know, class, and themselves really, and not to, you know, lose their own selves in the process of just trying to be famous or just trying to be something on the internet, because I see a lot of kids. Sometimes I myself feel a little lost so you know I think that’s one thing that they have to really hold on to their roots and hold on to them themselves. I think that’s very important. Because that can be very toxic sometimes.
AVNI JAIN 