Pop Diaries and the brain behind it, Pallavi Mukherjee has both changed and upped the game in the media industry. With no connections or investments from big media conglomerates, she has made her mark in just under four years.
Mukherjee spills beans about what gets her enterprise doing, the digital world in the middle of the pandemic, OTT platforms and more.
An Unplanned Adventure
“It was actually totally unplanned,” Pallavi said when we asked how did Pop Diaries come to be. But she had a mission and it deeply concerned how bigger portals would take from smaller creators without credits even sometimes. “If I was, you know, trying to do something new of my own, then you know, portals were copying my idea and displayed it like they have come up with something new rather than just taking my work.”
But was it hard to go against this age of yellow journalism, where everything is clickbait and the spiciest headlines draw the most eyes? Fortune favours the bold, so Pallavi found her way: “It was really a tough time to strike a chord with the audience. The only thing that helped me was recognition from the stars themselves on social media. Whenever I used to say stuff, stars used to share it on their accounts. It was liked by the people. So, that really helped. That’s how I made my way.”
The Future of Bollywood
Bollywood is going through quite the tough times right now. Pallavi shared, “When it comes to finance, the Bollywood market is down. But creatively is definitely up.”
Talking about creativity, she also mentioned how OTT renaissance is easily visible today. “OTT is the next big thing as the graph is showing. Bollywood is under the scanner and it will take some time to come back on track—not just shooting but also things like finances. Already, many have switched to OTT and there could be more in the coming years.”
Everything Is In Balance—As It Should Be
Right now, we’re all dealing with balancing creativity with time. So, how does Pallavi do it? “I need creative space, I need mental peace when I work. I wanted to work independently. There are certain things that—for example, if I’m reporting particular news and if the news arrived at 10 AM, I cannot aaram se sit in my creative space with the news and report it at 10 PM.
This news has to be reported immediately so people are aware of it. We also need our creative space but at the same time, we have to understand when it is important to give time a priority.
Currently, Pop Diaries is doing their bit to help the community and using their platform to work alongside NGOs and bring aid to those who need it. She’s definitely someone to watch out for!