A green face mask, a pair of huge pink sunglasses and a towel with hair curlers on it. That is what Pammi Aunty looks like. She’s the average overdramatic aunty that will judge absolutely any and everything that you do. Well, Pammi aunty is breaking the internet with her videos.

This guy is amazing. He is Pammi Aunty! Anyone know about him or his whereabouts? Am told he is all over the net pic.twitter.com/q9i9MLl7PN

— Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap)

 

But who’s the face behind all that sticky green paste? The face belongs to TV actor , who also happens to be a lookalike of King Khan.

 

 

We decided to have our version of an up-close and personal interview on Skype. He sat cozied up in his apartment flashing a smile to every question that came his way.

Do you have any aunty in mind that inspired you to become Pammi aunty?

Well, it wasn’t a specific aunty. I come from a Punjabi family. But every Indian family has the one Pammi Aunty in general that no one likes.

I think I have like, ten.

You’re going to complete 50 videos soon. How do you feel?

I’m on cloud nine!  I started it off as a joke but people actually, enjoy it. People have actually started talking to me like I am Pammi Aunty. It’s weird, but I love it. I am extremely overwhelmed by all the support.

Why is Pammi aunty always in a towel and not a wig?

*Laughs * Pammi aunty started off as a joke on Snapchat, so I used that filter they had with the face mask and hair curlers. At one point, the filter went away, and I wanted to maintain that look for Pammi Aunty, so I did everything I could to match the filter and ultimately chose a towelhead appearance. I wanted her to stand out, and people started to accept her that way.  

That explains why she looks so much like a Snapchat filter.

What makes a woman an aunty?

I would say that the society makes a woman an aunty. Not just women, men are also called ‘uncle’ after they either become fathers or cross a certain age. It’s how we’re raised. I’m sure kids have also called you aunty *Laughs*

*Gasp * LOL, I’m barely out of my teenage years.

 What is Pammi Aunty’s guilty pleasure?

None. She is guilty of nothing. Everything she does is out in the open.

Pammi Aunty’s got that sweg. Lel.

What is Pammi Aunty’s pet peeve?

She doesn’t like it when her Daughter-In-Law doesn’t obey her. In a recent video that I posted, she got pissed on her daughter-in-law because she went to the neighbor’s house while playing Pokémon Go.

 

 

Pammi aunty tends to make a lot of pop culture reference also including everyone’s favorite, Game of Thrones.

What makes an aunty a nosy aunty?

I always think that there is a certain situation behind everyone’s behavior, and so I think that aunties don’t intend on being nosy but end up being like that because of a certain backstory.

What is Pammi Aunty’s family like?

Pammi aunty is a widowed woman. Her in-laws were not good to her, and her husband did not pay any heed to her complaints. That stage of her newly married life was like a school that she’s graduated from. She’s now the principal, lol. And she is now taking out that anger on her daughter-in-law. She also has a son, Timmy, who doesn’t listen to her when she complains about her daughter-in-law and she also has a daughter, Sweetie, who is in America. Sweetie does not like her mother-in-law and keeps complaining about her to Pammi aunty. To that Pammi aunty replies, “She should just die”, without realizing that she is the same person with her daughter-in-law.

A little food for thought: Why is it always interesting to see a Saas-Bahu fight? Ssumier is trying to humor us with the reality, but I guess it’ll take longer to get over the practice that has been going on for probably millenniums now.

 

 

The biggest complaint she has?

Pammi aunty cannot handle the fact that her daughter-in-law is smart. She will leave no stone unturned to point out her mistakes. She turns to Sarla Behenji, her best friend of 30 years to complain about her daughter-in-law. Sarla is basically her partner-in-crime. 

When will we get to see Sarla Behenji?

So far, she’s just a character on the other side of the phone. I am working on developing her character, and hopefully, we will see her soon. 

A compliment that Pammi aunty looks forward to?

A compliment? *sigh * I think it would be at a party where everyone would tell her, “Behenji, tussi sabse sone lag rahe ho” She is a narcissist.

(You’re the prettiest out of everyone here)

One social evil Pammi Aunty would like to combat?

I don’t think Pammi aunty cares about social evils. But as Ssumier, I would combat the issue of superstitions affecting everyone in the society. Pammi aunty, I would say is under the superstition that everything bad that happens to her is because of her daughter-in-law. She also tries to make sure that nothing bad happens to Sarla because of Sarla’s daughters-in-law.

Aunties like to sanskar-shame people. How can Pammi aunty help end it?

Pammi aunty will probably worsen the situation than end it, lol. She calls out her daughter-in-law the whole time but refers to herself as a Sanskari woman which she is clearly not. But I guess that giving it a humorous touch will make people realize that they’re doing something wrong.

 Why only an aunty? Why not a young girl?

I feel like people will be able to relate more to an aunty than a young girl. If I had to make a young girl, her struggles would be different.

Why are women the only gender shown in the society that like to gossip?

I’m revealing a huge secret to you. Men gossip more than women. My friends have started gossiping these days, and that is how I think of ideas. Maybe showing the men gossiping will not be accepted to be as funny as women gossiping, but in its entirety, men tend to gossip more.

Great. Our culture cannot even handle the fact that men gossip. Heights of sexism. Will the real patriarchy please stand up?

Comment on ageism in India and society. An aging woman is no longer sexually appealing, but a man isn’t considered any less than what he was earlier.

I completely disagree with this remark. I know so many women who have aged gracefully, like Maharani Gayatri Devi and Madhuri Dixit. I agree that they get married and take care of their families, but when they make a comeback, they return with a bang. All we need to do is update ourselves that elder women are graceful too.

What pre-video ritual do you do to transform in Pammi aunty?

I blabber a LOT. I only write down the concept of the sketch. My lines are all improvised. Also, I put on the face mask that I don’t like and a towel to get into character completely.

How do you come up with ideas?

I meet with friends and discuss ideas with them. I find ideas anywhere and everywhere. I could hit the gym right now and come back with a few ideas so there’s no knowing when the creativity will come up.

 

 

What can we expect in your next few videos?

Well, I can’t give you spoilers, but it will have a lot of pop culture references and some of Pammi Aunty’s matrimony service scenes.

What do you think the TV industry should do to make their women characters bolder?

Ironically, there’s been lots of shows with bolder women, but they don’t gain the TRP they are supposed to. The audience is more into Saas-Bahu serials, and since those are popular, directors tend to work more on those plots. It’s a supply and demand thing. The demand is always asking for drama and Saas-Bahu controversies, and that’s what they get. That is also how Pammi aunty is becoming popular.

I’m looking at you dadi ma.

The video call only lasted for 12 minutes over Skype, and we had to continue the rest over the phone. Seriously, though, wifi network, I want to punch you in the face.

And to you, dear Pammi Aunty, you do you and continue changing the world with your humor, one video at a time.

Photo Source: Nilesh Rao