The Core of Content Creation and Cinema Remains The Same: Mouli

Mouli, who started his career creating relatable comedy sketches on YouTube and Instagram during lockdown, soon became an internet sensation. The lines in his sketches were memorable and often became memes themselves. Today, he makes all kinds of content — short films, vlogs, memes, sketches, reaction videos and even prank videos. Yet becoming a writer-director is his final goal, reveals Mouli, who recently made his acting debut with 90's - A Middle Class Biopic.

Content creation is an art in itself but one can easily get caught up in the instant engagement, views and satisfaction you can derive on a real-time basis. Mouli too soon found himself making videos for views and validation. “Once I got the reach, I started making videos every two days for views but it got too repetitive and I stopped enjoying them. Then I slowed down, looked at the content I enjoyed and tried to emulate their qualities.” 

While the numbers grew online and the creator was satisfied, he was blissfully unaware of the reach offline. That’s until he got a call from Tharun Bhascker’s office regarding an advertisement. “I went to Hyderabad and on the set, I saw Tharun’s crew talking about how they enjoyed my videos and that was my first proof.” 

Gradually, he also found his way into cinema. He made his debut with a fun family show,  90's - A Middle Class Biopic. Speaking about how he got a chance to relive his school days and make them better through this show, he says, “I never danced in my school, never had a love story… but in this show, I got to do all of them. In 90s, I was surrounded by smarter and more talented people which compounds and enhances my own ability. The show itself is well written so it gives credibility to my resume.” 

So, when it finally happened and he set foot on an actual set, was it intimidating?  “People see cinema as this unachievable thing but it is the same thing as content creation, it has writing, acting, shooting, and editing…the scale is bigger but the core remains the same.” He further talks about the power of content creation and the scope to make money through it. “Because I grew up watching films I am pursuing cinema right now. But content creation is clearly a big thing, there is enough money to be made here. With the budget of one big star, you can get 100 influencers, which is why brands are looking at influencers.”

Directed by Aditya Haasan, 90's - A Middle Class Biopic is streaming on ETV Win.