Popular content creator and actor
Ashish Chanchlani recently stepped into the sci-fi genre with his YouTube series 'Ekaki,' which marks a major shift from the comedy sketches that made him famous online. Ashish wrote, directed, produced, and acted in the series. The show blends elements of science fiction, horror, and comedy, inspired by his fascination with aliens and the fear of the unknown.
In an interview with Hindustan Times, the creator explained how the idea first came to him during a casual discussion with friends. Speaking about the concept, he said, "The fear of the unknown is a very good topic, not really explored well. Whenever we find something uncanny or mysterious, we always say it’s a ghost, but we never question the reality of it."
How the idea for 'Ekaki' was born
Ashish revealed that the core idea for the series came from a simple discussion with friends about supernatural stories where he began to imagine an alternative explanation. He also explained that people often assume strange events are caused by ghosts and he wanted to explore the possibility of something very unusual.
He recalled saying to his friends, “One day, I was with my friends, and I said, ‘You say there are ghosts here, but it can even be aliens.’ That’s how the idea came that first we will make an environment to make people believe that there’s a ghost here, but in the end we will reveal it was an alien all along.” He also shared that writing the screenplay was a challenging process and the team wanted to keep the story simple despite dealing with a science-fiction theme.
Ashish said, “So it took us a lot of time to write the screenplay because it was very tricky. And my first and foremost rule of writing this genre was that we will not complicate it. Sci-fi is a topic which is rarely touched on in India. But we will embrace it fully, but also make sure it’s not just about shock value.”
Taking a risk at age 30
For Ashish, Ekaki also represented a turning point in his career. Known for making relatable comedy videos about everyday life, he wanted to try something different.
Ashish said, "And I was like, ‘Now I have turned 30, if I don’t take risk now, then when will I take risk?’ Till when will I keep making content about Holi,
Diwali and tuition classes?”
According to him, audiences eventually get bored with repetitive content.
Financial loss but emotional satisfaction
Ashish admitted that the project has not been financially successful so far: “If we see monetarily, I am in a huge loss, but emotionally and mentally, I am in a lot of profit today. Paise kama lenge aage chalke 100% (we'll earn money in the future 100%).” Ashish also explained that several OTT platforms initially struggled to understand the show's format: “There were a lot of OTTs that did not understand what I was trying to do. This genre, which I have made, is sketch comedy only; it has that YouTube feel but mixed with storytelling. It’s a new thing we were trying to do, and they were not able to understand it.” Interestingly, he revealed that he even rejected a lucrative offer shortly before the show’s release. Ashish said, “Yes, we were offered a good amount of money. Just 10 days before the release, a very good platform offered me money, and I could have easily cashed out. But I wouldn’t have been happy.”
Addressing Stranger Things comparisons
Ashish also addressed comparisons between a scene in 'Ekaki' and the finale of 'Stranger Things'. Some viewers noticed similarities between a moment in the show where his character uses telekinesis and a scene from the popular series. However, Ashish clarified that the resemblance was purely coincidental: “'Stranger Things' finale came on January 1, 2026, and we had shot 'Ekaki' in 2024. The scene where I use telekinesis and lift the alien up is exactly similar, but we wrote that scene three years back. I’m actually happy with the fact that we could match the ideas of the 'Stranger Things' team.” The creator also revealed that the series pays tribute to 'Koi... Mil Gaya,' directed by Rakesh Roshan. According to him, it was one of the few bold alien-themed films made in Hindi cinema.
Written and directed by Ashish Chanchlani, the series features him as a main cast including Akash Dodeja, Rohit Sadhwani, Harsh Rane, Sidhant Sarfare, Shashank Shekhar, and Grishim Navani.
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