Sunaina Badam aka Frustrated woman is making waves with her rants. One rendezvous with the actress will convince you that she is anything but frustrated - and so she asserts. Poised, polished and perky, Sunaina is a breath of fresh air. Express catches up with her as she tends to her 11-year-old son.
Frustrated Woman is a series featuring various rants by Sunaina where she plays the roles of different woman 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 from four minutes 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 is frustrated about things. If we that frustration in various professions, situations and so on was brought out, it would be cathartic to the viewer. And by sheer observation, Frustrated Woman was born,” says Sunaina.
“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 spontaneity 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.”
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.
Sunaina doesn’t fail to mention and thank her family - her husband, and her 11-year-old - 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.
"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 every time 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.
