Kusha Kapila: This is the best time to be a content creator

Kusha Kapila is on a dream run. In the past three years, she has featured in three films and five web shows. Currently busy giving young women car rides to their Tinder dates, she is back with the third season of the dating app’s much-loved show Swipe Ride.

With an enviable 3.3 million followers on Instagram and some big projects in her bag, she is doing it all—appearing on Koffee with Karan, collaborating with Deepika Padukone and Varun Dhawan, slaying and sashaying at Cannes, and making getting at least a million views on every reel the new normal.

In this exclusive interview, the comedienne, actor, and Instagram superstar talks about Swipe Ride, the explosion of content creation, how she deals with online hate and negativity, her recent move to Mumbai, and her upcoming Rhea Kapoor film, Thank You for Coming.

I'm so glad that the Tinder team thought of me as somebody who could moderate and lead the show. Swipe Ride is one of the most fulfilling non-fiction experiences that I've had and I really wish that it runs for many more seasons.

I think Swipe Ride is equal parts hilarious, thoughtful, heartwarming, and fun. As a natural extrovert, I love conversations that are not surface level and I don't think we do any surface-level small talk on the show. We talk about things that we really want to and it fosters a female bonding experience. There are conversations about how to navigate modern dating while also discussing the transition from how dating used to be when we were younger to how it is now. We also don't take ourselves too seriously, but if there is something serious in the conversation, we don't shy away from it either. This whole combination of unapologetically voicing what we feel without the pressure of taking ourselves too seriously while we talk about love, which is the driving force for a lot of our emotional experiences, is what makes me love the show and keep coming back to it over and over again.

Dating apps have brought in a lot of agency for women to choose their own connections. Today, if a woman wants something or wants to date someone, she can make the first move. Dating apps have also brought in a lot of clarity as women can now have an actual conversation before meeting their match, and there is so much they can discuss before they take the plunge to meet. I also think dating apps are safer because the profiles are verified and it's just a better space to be in comparison to going in completely blind. With dating apps, you now have more clarity on who you want to date and once you've dated a bunch of people, you know exactly what you want or don't want and this process of elimination is seriously underrated.

I'm truly grateful for the opportunities I've had so far. I have gotten some great fiction and non-fiction opportunities that have really helped me come into my own. After having done so many different formats of content and with the theory of deduction and elimination, I now know exactly what I want to do from here on. Even though I'm still figuring out some things, I think I'm closer to where I want to be creatively, professionally, and spiritually. Overall, it's been a pretty fantastic journey and I'm grateful each day.

I think this is the best time to be a creator because you don't have to have a certain amount of followers for people to actually watch your content. Algorithms have become more disruptive and even more democratic. People with 50,000 followers have reached 10 million views and likes and hit numbers that even I haven't and that's incredible. My advice would be to put out the content that you want and not think too much about it as you have no idea what people will like and relate with. My only tip is: keep creating content and you'll figure it out eventually as you go.

I tackle it through therapy. I've faced my fair share of online hate and judgments, and over time, I’ve built up a resistance to it, or at least I try to. I can't really fathom how those with a much larger following and a nationwide presence handle it. But after a while, you develop a filter around you that only lets the good things come in. I've also got a set window where I allow myself to fret and whine about it and then I go back to the grind, back on set—because the show must go on.

I used to be a fashion editor so I don’t mind being called one. I would describe myself as somebody who's constantly curious, constantly wanting to update herself, constantly wanting to know what's the next thing, what's new. My career has always been in the digital space, so it's something that I've always loved. The world of pop culture and the Internet captivates me and I love when people create cool stuff because I love watching content. And as someone who’s doing pretty well for herself, I would say that I'm really proud of myself today.

Transitioning to Mumbai has been both easy and challenging, much like any move to a new city. I love Mumbai because it's so safe and the industry is here. There are so many creative people you get to meet and network with and there are so many ideas all around. But since it's not the place I grew up in and my close family and friends are not here, it does get lonely sometimes. However, I feel like I'll find my way. There is also this excitement, curiosity, and newness of things that is completely thrilling and I like that for myself. I wish to call Mumbai my home in a few years and it feels good to have two homes or at least the idea of two homes.

The film is a Rhea Kapoor and Karan Boolani experience and I feel the world's not ready for it. I am in awe of Bhumi Pednekar. I have been on set with her and I just feel so lucky to be in a project that has names like Ekta Kapoor, Rhea Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar, Dolly Singh, Shibani Bedi, Shehnaaz, and Sushant attached to it. So it's really exciting to be a part of this project and to be a part of the ‘Rhea World’ as I call it. She has always made movies from the female gaze that women relate to and want more of because there's not enough of it in the mainstream.