Writer-director Dheeraj Sarna, finest identified for The Sabarmati Report, and his spouse, Supriya Sarna, have been profitable hearts on Instagram with their lighthearted couple banter. From conversations about Mumbai’s unpredictable climate to espresso chats and discussions on kids’s tuition lessons, their reels—relatable, witty, and unscripted—have struck a chord with viewers. Sarna, who juggles writing, directing, and appearing, has over 149K Instagram followers, and says their movies started as an informal experiment that rapidly resonated with audiences.
In a dialog with indianexpress.com, the couple open up about their journey, content material course of, and why humour at house usually makes it to their reels.
Q. How did your content material creation journey start?
Dheeraj Sarna: Not many issues in life occur with planning. We each are actors and met on a present. Over time, appearing took a backseat—Supriya embraced motherhood and I acquired busy with writing and manufacturing. In the course of the Covid lockdown, we thought, why not do one thing collectively since we have been all at house? We began making household content material purely for enjoyable, about 5 years in the past.
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After lockdown, life acquired busy once more, however individuals started asking us why we weren’t posting these movies anymore. The love and encouragement introduced us again.
Supriya: I used to behave earlier than, however after having kids I couldn’t proceed. Now, this looks like a 2.0 model of me. I take pleasure in it. Our content material is relatable as a result of it comes from our actual conversations. Generally if one thing is on my thoughts, I counsel we make a video about it. It feels good that folks respect it.
Q. Inform us about your content material ideation course of.
Dheeraj Sarna: Most of it isn’t deeply deliberate. We observe our routine—she goes to the health club, I do my work—and later we consider an concept. It could possibly be about breakfast, night chatter, or the climate. Being a author, I simply form it rapidly. We don’t script or write something down; it’s all improvised.
Nearly all our movies are one-shot takes, with out cuts or music. Generally our househelp, our son, and even our prepare dinner aunty holds the digital camera. It’s very uncooked, very home content material.
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Q. From appearing to directing to content material, what do you take pleasure in most?
Dheeraj Sarna: I used to be initially solely a author for The Sabarmati Report. I had at all times written human-interest, humour, and romance. However Ekta (Kapoor) trusted me, greater than I did myself, and requested me to put in writing the movie. Ultimately, I ended up directing it too, and the love and acclaim it obtained was past measure.
Dheeraj Sarna and Supriya Sarna have identified one another for 17 years (Photograph courtesy: Supriya Sarna)
Content material creation, for me, isn’t bread and butter—it’s straightforward, pure, and a stress buster. In truth, typically once we’re alleged to battle about one thing, the video distracts us and we find yourself laughing. Each medium—movie, TV, OTT, or content material—has its personal appeal.
The fantastic thing about content material is that you just don’t must be in Mumbai or look ahead to approval from a producer. You possibly can create anyplace, with anybody, utilizing simply your intuition and expertise. That freedom is particular.
Q. What’s your tackle social media?
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Dheeraj Sarna: Social media bahut kamaal ki cheez hai (is an excellent factor). My father taught me to search out humour in each state of affairs. That’s one thing I carry ahead. Even in stress, I discover humour, and folks relate as a result of they undergo the identical at house. It’s mazedaar (enjoyable), and common.
Q. Do you talk about feedback or trolls?
Supriya: Over espresso, sure. We speak about feedback and even take recommendations from followers. However past that, I don’t pay consideration. Social media at all times must be taken with a pinch of salt.
Dheeraj Sarna: We determined to publish one video on daily basis. It’s a part of my routine. We’re not after perfection—we simply wish to be a part of individuals’s on a regular basis lives. Individuals usually ask, “Why are you at all times combating?” However it’s simply playful banter. Generally earlier than we even reply, our followers leap in to clarify.
It’s additionally been encouraging that folks like Rakesh Roshan and Gajraj Rao have favored our movies. That itself looks like a victory. On the finish of the day, I feel lighthearted content material made with the suitable intentions at all times strikes a chord.
