Roughly a week back, India discovered a new internet star. She starred in a video that got people hooked and spawned self-doubt among the hordes of hagglers in Mumbai's Linking Road and other bargain-hunting hot spots across our cities.
Sarojini Nagar, suddenly, replaced the new Adele song as the topic de jour on dates, at brunches and Facebook status updates.
The actor who made the internet laugh with her spot-on portrayal of the many shoppers of Sarojini Nagar, currently revelling in overnight stardom, is Mallika Dua, a 26-year-old copywriter from Delhi.
Mallika's video 'Shit People Say: Sarojini Nagar Edition' hit the elusive social media viral sweet spot with panache.
The video, made by Delhi-base studio A Little Anarky and listings site Little Black Book, was shot in five hours straight, with the Sarojini Nagar shopkeepers joining the five-member team with great enthusiasm. "We had to lug a huge suitcase around, which had all the clothes and accessories," says Mallika, who doubled up as the stylist for the shoot too. "I just told them that to respond to me like they would respond to an ordinary customer and they did. In fact, they were equally excited about the shoot."
Mallika wrote the script and then discussed it with LBB and the production house for the shoot. However, a lot of the act was spontaneous too. "People keep talking about the stereotypical Delhi girl. Actually, there are so many kinds of them and Sarojini is where you can spot each type. Every Delhi girl has to come to Sarojini to shop," she adds with a laugh.
Before Dua's stardom could fade, her many new fans discovered that she had been killing it on Dubsmash for a while. From old Paan Parag commercials to Amrish Puri dialogues, from Govinda to Shopkeeper and Chhutki, Dua has them all covered on her Instagram account.
Whoever is suffering from what LadiesFinger calls 'Not. Enough. Mallika. Dua.' syndrome, can drop everything they are doing and find her on Instagram.
In a bunch of her Dubsmash videos, Dua has for company her father, the journalist Vinod Dua. Awarded the Padma Shri in 2008 for journalism, Dua is a familiar name and face for Indian television news watchers. Vinod, who started his television journalism career with Doordarshan, has been since a regular fixture in various national news channels. He is seen happily playing an enthusiastic participant in his daughter's hilarious Dubsmash videos. One of the videos stars the entire Dua family, with Mallika's mother joining the dubsmash party, too.
Here's a sampling of her Dubsmash talent.
Because, what's life without Poo...ja?
And of course, some Paan Parag.
And obviously, Papa.
And while you were being all Nirupa Roy about your mother on Facebook...
Relationship status with age:botox complicated
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So which of the avatars does Dua identify herself with? A cross between the Diva and the Mama's Girl (from the video).
Also see on HuffPost:
Sarojini Nagar, suddenly, replaced the new Adele song as the topic de jour on dates, at brunches and Facebook status updates.
The actor who made the internet laugh with her spot-on portrayal of the many shoppers of Sarojini Nagar, currently revelling in overnight stardom, is Mallika Dua, a 26-year-old copywriter from Delhi.
Mallika's video 'Shit People Say: Sarojini Nagar Edition' hit the elusive social media viral sweet spot with panache.
The video, made by Delhi-base studio A Little Anarky and listings site Little Black Book, was shot in five hours straight, with the Sarojini Nagar shopkeepers joining the five-member team with great enthusiasm. "We had to lug a huge suitcase around, which had all the clothes and accessories," says Mallika, who doubled up as the stylist for the shoot too. "I just told them that to respond to me like they would respond to an ordinary customer and they did. In fact, they were equally excited about the shoot."
Mallika wrote the script and then discussed it with LBB and the production house for the shoot. However, a lot of the act was spontaneous too. "People keep talking about the stereotypical Delhi girl. Actually, there are so many kinds of them and Sarojini is where you can spot each type. Every Delhi girl has to come to Sarojini to shop," she adds with a laugh.
Before Dua's stardom could fade, her many new fans discovered that she had been killing it on Dubsmash for a while. From old Paan Parag commercials to Amrish Puri dialogues, from Govinda to Shopkeeper and Chhutki, Dua has them all covered on her Instagram account.
Whoever is suffering from what LadiesFinger calls 'Not. Enough. Mallika. Dua.' syndrome, can drop everything they are doing and find her on Instagram.
In a bunch of her Dubsmash videos, Dua has for company her father, the journalist Vinod Dua. Awarded the Padma Shri in 2008 for journalism, Dua is a familiar name and face for Indian television news watchers. Vinod, who started his television journalism career with Doordarshan, has been since a regular fixture in various national news channels. He is seen happily playing an enthusiastic participant in his daughter's hilarious Dubsmash videos. One of the videos stars the entire Dua family, with Mallika's mother joining the dubsmash party, too.
Here's a sampling of her Dubsmash talent.
Because, what's life without Poo...ja?
And of course, some Paan Parag.
And obviously, Papa.
And while you were being all Nirupa Roy about your mother on Facebook...
Relationship status with age:
Like Us On Facebook | 
Follow Us On Twitter | 
Contact HuffPost IndiaSo which of the avatars does Dua identify herself with? A cross between the Diva and the Mama's Girl (from the video).
Also see on HuffPost: