Digital content creator Kusha Kapila portrays every woman. Her content strikes a chord with women of all generations. Her fun rants are beyond relatable. She is, by far, one of the most popular Internet breakout stars in the country.

Kusha, who is also set to debut as an actor, will take on hosting duties for Comicstaan Season 3 on Amazon Prime Video, streaming from July 15. In a free-wheeling chat with TT Online, Kusha takes us through her journey and how she’s carved a niche for herself.

In the new season of Comicstaan, more than anything else, fans are excited to watch you as the show host.

Kusha Kapila: I am also waiting! (Smiles) I just hope I am good at it. This show is about comics. We have got new talents and they are so good. I grew so close to them during the shoot. I just hope they kill it, have a lot of fans and become cult figures after the show.

2022 seems to be special for you with so many show launches…

Kusha Kapila: Yeah, yeah, yeah! (Grins) I am just lucky and blessed. I have three releases (one of them is Masaba Masaba Season 2, Netflix) in this month alone, but my eyes are on July 15. So I sleep, eat and repeat Comicstaan. Whenever I get tagged to anything, I just write ‘July 15’. I might as well get a tattoo!

You have hosted so many shows in the past. What kind of prep work did you do for Comicstaan?

Kusha Kapila: I had to do a lot of work. I had to work with the writers. You have to have chemistry with Abish (Mathew, co-host), which he made so easy for me. I worked with the showrunner and with so many people to ensure that I don’t disappoint on stage when there are so many wonderful judges - Zakir Khan, Sumukhi Suresh, Neeti Palta and Kenny Sebastian. Our mentors (Rahul Subramanian, Sapam Verma, Rohan Joshi, Prashasti Singh, Kannan Gill, Aadar Malik and Anu Menon) are fantastic. From the way it is shot and the way it is made, it ensures that the hosts get time to rehearse and prepare.

Comedy naturally comes to you. How are you always at the top of your game?

Kusha Kapila: Oh, you made my day! I don’t know, ya… I have never intellectualised it. There were moments where Abish empowered me on stage, so I used to try and do some improv. If jokes are coming to your mind, you should have the courage. When there is a live audience, the first thing is, you will fail but then you are so empowered on stage and everyone is here to have a good time. I did try a few things. But I don’t know if it comes to me naturally. Okay, fine it does. Let’s just say, it does! (Laughs aloud)

What were Abish’s tips for you and how did you collaborate?

Kusha Kapila: Abish gave me this advice that it’s important to listen to the co-host. So while we are doing the thing, both of us should be aligned. We should speak as much as we listen, and he was always available even before the show started. He and I used to rehearse in his van or my van. It was a transparent and open way of communicating, which I think is very important because if there is no chemistry between the hosts, then the hosting will fail. We were always dancing, jumping and I would do a thumka, he would do a thumka and make up our own warm-up exercises. And when we were on stage, we would be there to kill. Sumukhi (Suresh) helped me by just talking to me.

Digital content creators like Prajakta Koli and Dolly Singh are foraying into the OTT space as well as in mainstream films as actors. Some say they are hired because creators have followers, so it would be easy for the film to make the cut.

Kusha Kapila: Prajakta Koli is a great example. Mismatched (on Netflix) was one of the top-rated shows and she has got great reviews for JugJugg Jeeyo, so I would say she has proved herself. I also hope to do so with the shows I am doing. We have a huge following. If we are hamming it, it will immediately show and we won’t be hired. Prajakta has done so well and the casting directors can’t stop raving about her. She has paved the way for a lot of content creators, and we hope to do the same.

How are you training to be an actor?

Kusha Kapila: I am doing workshops and I am very dependent on the director. With the makers of the show, I am a student on the sets. You are here to learn and improve yourself. Sincerely, I am a teacher’s pet.

Your content is relatable to womankind. What goes through your head and mind when you come up with ideas?

Kusha Kapila: It should make me laugh. If I am shooting and if it makes me laugh, I am sure it will make other people laugh as well. I am my audience also, so I want to make the content that I will watch too. My friends are continuously giving me feedback, so I am constantly looking for validation from my peers more than anyone else. And my audience is receptive. If I put something that is not funny, they will not give me the sympathetic validation.

You have been a disruptor in the digital content creation space. What is your recipe to stay relevant?

Kusha Kapila: There is a lot to pack…. Do as much as you can till you stay relevant; do as much as you can while you still have the eyeballs on you. There is this thing you are constantly told, and you see that today you are relevant and tomorrow you won’t be.

I worked in companies and in corporate (industry) for seven to eight years, so there is a certain work ethic and discipline ingrained in me. That’s what I apply when I work here as well. It’s important to be sincere and treat it like a legitimate job because it is. You are getting on the OTT platform; you are getting to be in the poster with so many incredible people. So never taking it lightly and thinking that you are getting this because you are so good or you deserve it. You must constantly work every day to get what you have, to get the respect it deserves.

You share a great rapport with other Delhi-based content creators, so does their feedback count? Where else do you seek feedback?

Kusha Kapila: In Delhi, it’s the people with whom I had started my career like Ankush Bahuguna, Dolly Singh, Komal Pandey, Siddharth Batra. I met Komal through Dolly. The content of our friendship is very us. I think you need creator friends because there is a specific need that they fulfil. They understand when you are going through things in life. That’s why it is so important and nice to have them. And your other friends won’t understand it. If they know my problem, they will be like ‘this is so first world’. Maybe it is, but you also need someone to talk to.When it comes to feedback, I value the feedback of the friends I grew up with, my own family. I come from a big family; they tell me what they like and what they don’t. They give real feedback. I recently did the IIFA hosting, so they have given me all kinds of feedback on what they liked and what they didn’t. I think that’s a good relationship with your peers, and my partner (Zorawar Singh Ahluwalia) is also very receptive.

During the lockdown and after, we saw a lot of content creators coming up and many aspire to be Kusha Kapila…

Kusha Kapila: I just don’t want them to do what Kusha does. It’s very flattering to say ab main kya bolun matlab (Grins). What should I say! To be honest when I came my seniors were very kind to me. Everyone reached out and complimented me. I also do the same. If I like something, I am in their DMs telling them I love what they are doing.

Whose content are you watching?

Kusha Kapila: There is a guy… (Md) Anas. He is so good with what he does. Then, there is Dharna (Durga), Karan Sareen, Saumya, Yashraj Mukhate, my own friends, and my partner Zorawar. They are incredible artistes. Their writing is unique, their perspective is unique and when your learnings are unique, you can’t be someone else.

You became a star in the last five years. Looking back, what are your learnings?

Kusha Kapila: I am learning to maintain a work-life balance. You can’t be working every day. Opportunities will keep coming and you must find time for yourself and your family. You must find time to breathe and refuel. Sometimes I feel like, let’s take a month or two off and do something, learn a new skill. I am also growing up and discovering myself. I seriously give myself breaks, nahi toh hustle-hustle toh chalta hai… par kitna hustle karoge, right? So, you shouldn’t completely lose yourself. When you are working, give it the respect it deserves. And when you are not working, give it the respect, stay away from the phone and be there for yourself and your family.

What is the plan for the next five years?

Kusha Kapila: Financial planning is what I want to learn. Learn to work smarter and not the hardest. I think we are not taught that as much in schools. I did my bachelor’s in fashion, so I missed the bus in college also. I must equip myself with the financial tropes to manage money because I don’t think women are encouraged and empowered to learn that. Then, maybe writing and creating my own show.