Permanent Roommates set the ball rolling for the concept of web series in India. And it garnered huge appreciation and a massive fan following. The lead pair Sumeet Vyas and Nidhi Singh became the first stars of the digital media industry in India. Not only that, with this series, The Viral Fever (TVF) successfully became a major original content creator for the web. After the success of season one, the makers are back with Permanent Roommates season 2 that recently went live. Pandolin caught up with Sumeet and Nidhi to know more about their experience of being part of this popular series.

Nidhi Singh & Sumeet Vyas

Nidhi Singh & Sumeet Vyas

Permanent Roommates started a phenomenon and both your names are now carved into the history of digital media content in India. How does it feel and did you expect this kind of a response?

Nidhi Singh (N) : It surely sounds good. But we never expected it, though I am enjoying and loving every bit of it.

Sumeet Vyas (S): No, we never expected it to be so big. We knew that we are doing something new with this medium in India but the response we got was humongous. And we got a sense of it only after the second episode of season one.

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So how did you’ll originally come on board Permanent Roommates?

N: I knew Nidhi Bisht of TVF through a common friend and I was part of some of their viral videos. One day I got a call from Nidhi who told me that there is this one role but I would need audition for it. I agreed and landed the role soon after.

S: Nidhi (Bisht) plays a pivotal role in my working for Permanent Roommates too. I used to watch TVF videos and recognized her from the video. We had done some work in theatre in the past. So I connected with her and expressed my interest in working with them. She then got back to me with the offer for this web series and I readily agreed.

What do you’ll think about your characters? Do you’ll have any similarities with your on-screen characters?

N: Not at all. I am much more spontaneous and impromptu than Tanya is. She is very pragmatic, practical and her all actions are well thought out. I generally go with the flow.

S: Mikesh does not have a mask. He is as he is – totally transparent. He does not think before he speaks and that may come across as stupid for people who are not like that.

Sumeet Vyas (Centre) with Nidhi Singh (Right)

Sumeet Vyas (Centre) with Nidhi Singh (Right)

Tell us more about your background. What did you’ll do before making it big with Permanent Roommates?

N: I am from the advertising world. I was part of the non-creative work at first. But then I thought that I should get into the creative aspect of it and started assisting ad directors. Soon I found myself acting in them too.

S: I have been in this industry for the past 15 years and have done theatre and films. I was part of the film English Vinglish. I’ve also done a lot of short films and more movies recently. I also wrote the web series Bang Baaja Baaraat for YRF (Yash Raj Films).

You’ll have worked in the traditional media industry and now the new-age digital media industry as well. What differences do you find between the two?

N: I would say that the digital guys are more gutsy. They take more risks and go ahead with conviction, if they believe that their content is good.

S: Digital has opened up many new opportunities that were untapped. I am loving the freedom it offers in terms of putting your ideas into projects without any silly limitations.

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What are the other projects that you’ll are working on?

S: I am writing another web series for YRF.

-Prashen Kyawal