He is the boy next door — literally! In the Youtube video arena, it really takes innovation to stand out from the crowd and Chandrasekhar Sai Kiran aka ‘Pakkinti Kurradu’ does it with his humour and an ability to push the envelope constantly. With more than 50 videos to his credit and most of them averaging at around 5,00,000 views, it is a phenomenal success story by any measure and something very few 25-year olds would dream of.

An avid movie buff, Chandu Sai as he is fondly called, holds a diploma in film technology from Chennai and trained with veteran actor Devadas Kanakala before making a mark with his debut series. The young actor says, “Growing up I was a huge fan of Chiranjeevi and was always interested in movies. After moving to Hyderabad, I met Harsha Basava of Tamada Media through mutual friends and pitched the concept to them which they liked.”

The rest as they say is history and the millennial Youtube star. With videos like Telangana Dostulu, Caste Enti and Love & Doubt, he is raking in staggering hits and likes with every outing on social media.

Chandu’s USP is that of a young guy traversing through life and he makes it relatable through the topics he chooses. Telugu online programming has always been stuck in a ‘safe’ zone and the young actor first made a mark with the youngsters due to the bold content of his videos and the fact that he didn’t shy away from themes like sex and virginity.

“When two close friends meet, they aren’t always polite to each other. They abuse each other, make jokes and talk about everything under the sun. My videos provide a slice of the real life. The theme might be a little bold but I ensure that it’s never obscene. I’m just like any guy of my age, which is why people connect with my work.” he remarks. His video, Naanatho Arjun Reddy Chuste? boasts of a staggering 2.3 million views till date and Chandu admits that it was a turning point of sorts.

The most challenging part for the youngster is to come up with new concepts every week. He shares, “I don’t want to repeat what I’ve done earlier which makes it tough to constantly improvise. My only goal is to ensure that the audience isn’t bored. With so much content floating around, it’s really difficult to bring in novel ideas each time.”

Not only bold content but ‘Pakkinti Kurradu’ talks of other relevant things under the son — from starting a conversation about menstruation to exploring caste and reservation, nothing is a holy cow. Chandu explains, “It’s all in the execution. You need to balance your theme with the right content and once you do that, any topic can be discussed.”

The youngster is amused at the adulation and selfie requests he receives and says that his method of dealing with pressure is not to be obsessed with likes and comments. He adds, “Once I’m done with a video, I don’t look back. I like to look to the future and plan ahead.”

While his ultimate goal is to be a director, Chandu is looking at consolidating his good work on the ‘new small screen’ YouTube. Happy to continue doing quality work, he shares, “I’m content where I am right now. This medium allows me to get into people’s phones every week and I want to ensure that the quality of my work isn’t compromised.”

We cannot but let him go without asking — how does his family react to his videos, especially the racier ones? “They know my nature as I never shied away from speaking from mind even as a kid. I’m very frank by nature and they know that I’m exactly like Pakkinti Kurradu in real life too,” he smiles.