HYDERABAD: A beloved child artiste, a popular TV host, an RJ, a full-time mom and now “frustrated woman” – actress Sunaina Badam is back in the limelight with her new web series, Frustrated Woman. However, one rendevous with the actress will convince you that she is anything but frustrated – or so she insists. Poised, polished and perky, Sunaina is a breath of fresh air. City Express catches up with her as she tends to her 11-month-old son.
How it all began
Frustrated Woman is a series featuring various rants by Sunaina where she plays the roles of different women in different circumstances. The show which is up online on the YouTube channel Khelpedia averages around 1,50,000 views. Based on real time issues that might be a reason for frustration, Sunaina goes on a rant about the same, and get this – she does it extempore! “Our videos can range anywhere between four to 18 minutes. But all of the videos are made as a single take,” she says proudly. Launched in March 2016, Frustrated Woman was a well-thought out concept.
“When we were planning a new series at Mango (the digital agency which produces the series) we figured that the online space doesn’t have women-specific content and we fixed on that. And as it happens the suggestions were usually related to cooking, fashion, make-up etc. But we wanted to go a different direction. I figured that every person in their own little ways are frustrated about things. We thought what if we brought out the frustration in various professions and situations, it would be cathartic to the viewer. And thus, Frustrated Woman was born,” says Sunaina.
How concepts are born
“Even when I wasn’t a part of the showbiz actively, I was always an avid writer. I would keep writing a journal or a blog or something to keep my creative juices flowing. And in the case of Frustrated Woman, while the usual Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day concepts are a given, I try to find things in my own surroundings that are little annoyances in life. After I have decided upon what the topic is going to be, I jot down points from the top of my head and when the camera turns on, I go on a rant about whatever I remember from it,” she explains. For an industry professional, working without a script might sound irrational, but for Sunaina it brings out her best. She says, “I have never written a script for my videos. And that is because it takes away from the spontanity of the rant. However, I am constantly listening to myself. It’s to make sure I don’t say anything insensitive or out of the line as I go.”
Views aren’t important
Unlike most YouTubers who thrive on views and subscribers, Sunaina is surprisingly nonchalant about the response on her videos. “There are videos that make a lakh in a day, and there are some that are not quite up to the mark. But dwelling on that will take away your focus on the upcoming project. I make sure I do my best in terms of output and my team too is adept in their fields. So I rarely have any qualms about the response.” Sunaina intentionally stays away from the negativity of the internet. She believes such negativity will affect her and her family and gravitates away from it. “I don’t even read the comments on my videos,” she confesses.
A family woman
Sunaina doesn’t fail to mention and thank her family – her husband Vinay Kumar and her 11-month-old Sai Karthik, about how supportive they have been throughout her journey. Despite her popularity, she says she would not sacrifice her time with her family for the world. She confesses, “I have been getting a lot of offers in movies and web series, but I have chosen my family over movies. I want to spend more time with my baby and my husband.
And Frustrated Woman gives me space to do things at my own pace.” Having said that she also admits, “I am someone who likes being chilled out. But everytime I decide that now I am only going to be at home and look after my family, something interesting comes up. The entertainment industry keeps drawing me in.” “And of course I love being in the limelight, so I’m not complaining,” she chuckles signing off.