Prashasti Singh’s four-part debut special Door Khadi Sharmaaye is finally making its way onto YouTube, with two parts already released. Singh’s highly anticipated debut will be the first special released by a contestant from Comicstaan season 1 (in which she was the second runner-up). Door Khadi Sharmaaye is the culmination of a solo standup show that Singh has toured with for more than a year, with the hour-long show being shot in the Bangalore International Centre.

A teaser released on the comedian’s Instagram reveals that we can expect each part to be a bit on romantic tragedy. In part one, a 17-minute clip titled Teenage Drama, Singh details all the confusion and hijinks that come with her first dip into the dating pool. Part two is a crisp, 7-minute Retired Romantic, in which her tone has changed to wise and world-weary, unfazed by love’s calling. Singh plans on releasing a part of the special weekly. We caught up with her to find out a little more about the special and its production, her experience shooting it and why she released it on YouTube. Read along for all the juicy details!

YOU’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS FOUR-PART RELEASE CYCLE FOR YOUR SPECIAL. HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT IT?

I’m feeling very good, very excited. Because it is releasing in parts, I get to feel the adrenaline cycle every week. For the last couple of years, I haven’t been very active on social media, so it’s also a little overwhelming to be posting reels and stories every day and then actively tracking responses. I’m realising I haven’t been this self-obsessed for a long time. 

WHAT’S THE STORY BEHIND THE NAME ‘DOOR KHADI SHARMAAYE’?

You’ll get it when you watch the show. I can tell you though, that I considered many options, asked friends, but zeroed in on this one because this resonates most with how I approach life and love.

WHY THE CHOICE TO CUT UP THE SPECIAL INTO FOUR PARTS?

The best thing about releasing the special independently is that you can really have fun with the format. I’ve divided the special into four parts, two are story heavy and the other two are mostly observational jokes. They’ve been edited to be consumed independently. It totally works as an hour as well, but because I’m currently trying to reach a wider audience who don’t necessarily follow my content, four videos help me increase the probability of sampling on YouTube. Also releasing one video per week is a sweet pace, where the viewers get to sit with one piece of content for a few days before they move on to the next.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE REST OF THE SHOW? ARE THERE ANY MAJOR UNDERLYING THEMES?

Yes, the theme is romance and it’s not underlying, it’s screaming out loudly from the show poster, show name and the trailer. If I have to be more specific, it’s a dig on our conventional understanding of romance through some silly anecdotes and some salty social observations. 

YOU’RE RELEASING THE SPECIAL ON YOUTUBE, AS A LOT OF COMEDIANS ARE DOING RECENTLY. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUTUBE AS A DISTRIBUTION PLATFORM FOR COMEDY?

I think it is a great option to have in the distribution mix. I love the fact that we have so many ways to reach the audience today. OTT specials help in setting better benchmarks for production and also pumping money into the comedy ecosystem. On the other hand, producing and distributing specials independently on YouTube helps to reach and create a new audience. 

Having said that, a free platform like YouTube can be brutal because there is no hiding from anyone including yourself. The YouTube audience makes it super obvious when they love you and equally obvious when they don’t. So it’s a personal call as well. I feel that developing an internal sense of security in your work goes a long way in surviving and thriving on this platform.