Quick, what’s your password?
Chances are that it might contain some references to an old flame that you once harboured feelings for.
This secret detail of your life might just lead to a giant explosion, if revealed in a public place. Like it has for the character Lokesh in a video by Certified Rascals, a YouTube channel that has consistently raked in views for its whimsical take on IT professionals and the current work-from-home scenario.
The brains behind these comic sets, which you might have chanced upon on social media, are actual IT professionals. The channel’s writer-editor Aravindh Chandrasekaran is a Singapore-based manager in an IT firm, while one of its acting leads, Sudhir R, is also a manager in the same company based out of Chennai.
That the two have been working professionals for more than 15 years helps when they script a video. “The pandemic and lockdown had made most of us get into a mundane lifestyle. We wanted to do something exciting and creative,” says 40-year-old Aravindh, who has earlier helmed short films such as 12 AM , 2 and Aadhi .
Their first Dubsmash video, which borrowed a dialogue that comedian Santhanam delivers in Kalakalappu, released a month ago. “We had zero expectations, but overnight, we got more than a thousand subscribers. That was an encouraging sign.”
Since then, the team of “certified rascals”, as they call themselves, have been putting out videos on a regular basis. Taking on topics such as ‘onboarding’ and ‘escalations’, subjects that most IT employees would relate to, their videos have consistently garnered over a lakh views on YouTube, got over 65, 000 subscribers to their channel and have been widely shared in office WhatsApp groups.
The star of most of these videos is 39-year-old Sudhir R, who plays the manager. “Sometimes, I’ve to change according to the needs of the script. In some, I’m strict and in some others, I’m a ‘comedy piece’,” he says.
Sudhir’s interactions with his team and the subsequent reactions have become the talking points among viewers. So much that he has already been approached by a couple of production houses for prospective film offers. “I am a serious guy. My friends and family have been quite surprised seeing this side of me, though they were aware that I was keen on films and direction,” says Sudhir.
The team of Certified Rascals intends to keep it going despite the challenges of the pandemic. They hope to branch out from their usual comedic stuff, to take up serious issues. “We are currently working on short films, exploring the myriad emotions of IT professionals,” adds Aravindh.
Watch their work here : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdSpmqzM-3g-DqzBe1apH9w/videos
