From Winning Social Currency to Stand-up Comedy: A Candid Conversation with Aakash Mehta

If you watched the Netflix show 'Social Currency,' you must have been impressed by Aakash Mehta's remarkable journey and his strategic approach that turned things around. Whether it was his candidness about vulnerabilities, his unexpected rise as the dark horse, or simply his genuine personality within the house, Aakash Mehta made a lasting impact. 

In 'Social Currency,' Aakash stood as the sole stand-up comedian among sought-after influencers and emerged as the reality show winner. In this exclusive interview, Aakash shares his experiences on the show, insights on his controversial decision not to vote for Bhavin Bhanushali, and gives us a glimpse into what to expect from his upcoming show, 'Nasty.' 

Congratulations on winning the reality show 'Social Currency' on Netflix! How does it feel to be crowned the winner and stand out as the only stand-up comedian among highly sought-after influencers?

It's a very surreal feeling. But like anything I've managed to pull off in life, the happy feelings are immediately replaced with the excitement of what's next!

How has winning 'Social Currency' impacted your career as a stand-up comedian? Have you noticed any significant changes or opportunities that have come your way? I know it's just been a week since the show launched, but have you seen anything?

The last 2-3 weeks have only led to increased followers on Instagram, which, if the show taught us anything, is pretty meaningless. They're just numbers on a screen executives use to tell whether you're worth spending money on. What gets me is the messages I'm getting from people. It was a shared win for me and all the friends, family, and fans I've been lucky enough to bring along the way. I hope I can continue being the kind of person worth their time, effort, and love. 

In 'Social Currency', you opened up about your mental health, resonating with many viewers. How important was it for you to share your experiences, and what impact do you hope it will have on others?

I feel like I've always been more than willing to talk about my mental health because a lot of my suffering came from the fact that I felt like I was the only person experiencing these things. I've always found it difficult to balance talking about mental health and all the other things I want to talk about. There's this constant push and pull in my head and almost this fear of becoming 'Mental health comedian Aakash Mehta'. Being typecast. I have depression and anxiety; they don't have me. 

As I'm not a trained mental health professional, and I don't think it's my place to pretend to be one either, the most I aim for in all this is to help someone get through another day and not feel like they're the only one going through this; that they're not alone.

Can you share some memorable moments or challenges you faced during your journey on 'Social Currency'? How did you overcome those challenges and ultimately emerge as the winner?

I was completely out of my zone during the show regarding the offline challenges. Even when it came to the online ones, the numbers just weren't something I could circumvent. So I had to focus on the celebrity challenges; with those, I knew exactly who I had to impress, and I've done a fair bit of client servicing work in the past to deliver something they'd like. That's what helped me win the 'Sunny Leone' challenge, a couple of challenges that didn't make the final edit and the Badshah challenge. 

I remember being so happy that I finished my video with him in time so we could just sit and talk about art. He had just finished judging a dance-based reality show, and we were reflecting on how expression changes from art form to art form. Just the best!

As someone with a significant following on YouTube, you mentioned that you would have ranked above the influencers on the show based on that metric. How do you think social media presence and followers impact a comedian's career in today's digital age?

Comedians? I think every one is getting sucked into the trap. And it's very scary because, increasingly, we are using followers as a metric over and above everything else. Today's comics are in for a much harder grind than someone starting a decade ago. 

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Being the underdog and eventually emerging as the mastermind of 'Social Currency', how did you manage to navigate the challenges and competition on the show? What strategies or mindset helped you secure the win?

Mastermind is a very strong word, and I must say I reject it. I was just using common sense. For me, the show strategy was in three parts. Firstly, convince me that I am a threat to these big names. Secondly, Convince them that I'm not a threat, and, thirdly, take each task as it comes and focus on consistency as opposed to trying to be first all the time. Consistent glow over occasional flashes of brilliance, always.  

Some sections of the 'Social Currency' fans expressed disappointment with your decision not to choose Bhavin Bhanushali towards the end. Can you shed some light on your thought process behind that decision and the factors that influenced it?

Arrey, even I felt really bad about it. Honestly, the only factor influencing it was concerns over not winning if I voted for him. I remember this: Voting happened the night before the final challenge and finale. I knew Rowhi would go for Ruhi and vice versa. I thought Vagmita and Mridul would vote for each other as they'd gotten closer since Sakshi left.

I thought Parth would vote for Vagmita, and I knew Bhavin would vote for me. My question was Bhavin or Parth, as they'd been the kindest to me in the show. 

But we weren't there for friendships. We were there to make a hell of a show. And so, I had to be competitive and pick who I thought would most likely not beat me in the overall score. 

In retrospect, I know now that I was pretty wrong and voting for Bhavin might not have affected my final position, and so immediately, I felt this immense guilt because logic can't trump your feelings. That being said when I saw the show, I paused and messaged Bhavin to apologise again. He said he was okay with it, and the guilt was somewhat reduced if he was okay with it

Your upcoming YouTube special, 'Nasty,' is highly anticipated by your fans. Can you give us a sneak peek into what viewers can expect from this special? What inspired the theme and content of "Nasty"?

Nasty is a show about sex and sex education! After a particularly odd show I did in NCR once, I realised that in India, we're not exactly keen on having conversations around sex. That leads to a lot of sometimes hilarious but often scary situations in our lives. I felt like if we couldn't talk about it seriously, we could at least talk about it in between jokes, and that's really where the idea of the show came about. The name was just a way of letting the audience know what they were in for. When they buy the ticket and when they click on the link. 

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 Can you share a memorable or funny incident that happened during the filming of Social Currency? Any behind-the-scenes anecdotes or interactions that stood out to you?

There was this one day I'll probably never forget. One of the contestants was wearing a night suit one day, and Bhavin suddenly made this connection that the outfit looked like a Cassata ice cream, and we completely lost it for a good hour or more at the splendid observation. I don't know whether it was in the house for that many days, but I still laugh about Bhavin's perfect observation and lateral thinking today. 

Are you still in touch with the crew? Are there any special bonds you still cherish?

Yeah, two of the crew were comedians. Urjita, who wrote the Admin's dialogues and Shreyas, one of the show's senior producers, were people I'd seen in the comedy scene here and there, and we'd been on the same lineup here and there. The show was shot back in 2021, so it's been nice getting to know them over the years. The comedy scene is so small your paths tend to cross often.

What made you say yes to the show? After the show came out, was there any point that you thought? Oh, I could have done that differently.

I wasn't interested at all at first. Most people think you can't make a living or be relevant without followers, but that isn't the case. Believe it or not, people who are good at their job seldom have time to follow trends, so an algorithm blesses them with traction. Plus, I hadn't even seen a reality show since the Great Indian Laughter Challenge, but then my then agent, now mentor, Anshu Patni, showed me the other side. Firstly, it's Netflix, and you can trust Netflix not to overdo the reality TV tropes. And secondly, I genuinely wanted to know how influencers tick, and the experience couldn't have been more fulfilling!

Could I have done things differently? Sure. I definitely would've voted for Bhavin. But the past isn't there for us to contemplate alternative realities. It's there for us to learn from so we do things better and be better in the future.

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 You were honest in the show, and you shared some moments of vulnerability with the audience. Do you think the industry today is open to that kind of conversation where someone can just open up about how they are feeling, and people don't take it as a weakness but rather a strength?

If there are people who do, then they're not in the majority. People are too busy posturing to get to the truth of things. Because the internet responds best to black and white, the truth is, unfortunately, some shade of grey somewhere in the middle. We live in a time of quick turnover and cheap thrills. Few have the time for feelings. This is sad because that's really where art comes from—your feelings and empathy for others' feelings.

Apart from stand-up comedy, are there any other artistic or creative pursuits you are passionate about or would like to explore?

Much of my time that doesn't go into comedy goes into my company, Lasoon Live. We're an Indie artist management agency that works to help new comics get a handle on things. I feel like comedy has given me so much in my life, and I'm still just beginning to give back to the form and the scene. I was never given a seat at the table, so I'm pretty committed to helping people make their own. 

The last few years have also been a deep dive into writing projects with a film and a show. When I'm not doing that also, I'm working on my music. I have an album out and two more on the way! I've also hosted multiple podcasts and acted a bunch (including a film releasing next year). Hopefully, in the future, I'll be able to be a stay-at-home dad and have a kitchen garden. Oh, that would be the dream! Kids and farming are my two favorites!

Finally, what message or advice would you like to share with aspiring stand-up comedians or content creators looking to make their mark in the industry? What lessons have you learned along your journey that could be valuable to others?

The lessons are endless, and new ones appear all the time. But for the most part, it's just this: The world is confusing, beautiful, and horrifying. So just stick to your guns and always be honest with yourself. Brutally honest, if you can build an appetite for it. And be kind and give back. Or at least try. I've been trying for a lifetime, and I think I'm getting close to doing a good job of it. If after all this you have energy left, come by for a show sometime!

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