Exclusive | Ashish Chanchlani on 'Ekaki' and Beyond: 'I Am Working With TVF Next'

Ekaki on YouTube is a silly, nerdy, affectionate mash of sci-fi and horror tropes, about a gang of goofs encountering an alien presence near Lonar Lake in Maharashtra. The five-part series — starring, directed, produced and bravely released for free on his channel by the creator Ashish Chanchlani — has amassed close to 145 million views collectively so far.

Chanchlani’s fan base has lapped it up, praising his technical finesse and depth of ideas. The concluding episode, called Conqueror, certainly punches above its weight, featuring alien beatdowns and a cool animated sequence about a foiled planet called Thera (an anagram of Earth). There is an allegory in there about environmental collapse and fascist mind-control, alongside jokes about Adipurush and vada pav.

Chanchlani, 32, geeky but level-headed, son of theatre owner Anil Chanchlani, says he’s recovered 50 per cent of Ekaki’s budget from YouTube revenue, and is hoping to recover more from the brands he’ll draw on the back of the show. “I was misquoted as saying that our budget was the same as Tummbad. It's not ₹15 crores. It’s closer to a small DIY indie film,” he clarifies.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Chanchlani spoke about his array of influences, building an Indian sci-fi universe and his upcoming projects. Excerpts.

The show’s centrepiece is the imperialist alien monster Xarg, whom we meet in the final episode. What was the process of designing him?

Chida’s FX Studio in Mumbai created the prosthetics for the alien. They've worked on films like Kalki 2898 AD and Sam Bahadur. There’s a sequence in the Hollywood film Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003) where a school bus is attacked and the creature reveals its face for the first time. It’s one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever seen. That kind of visceral disgust really stayed with me. I wanted to evoke a similar feeling when the alien in our film removes its mask—a sense of something deeply unsettling, almost repulsive.

We’ve grown up seeing lovable, friendly aliens—whether it’s Jadoo or PK—but I didn’t want that. I didn’t want a humanised alien. I wanted something truly creepy, layered, almost squishy and gooey in texture. I was also inspired by the kind of prosthetic work you see in Guardians of the Galaxy. James Gunn creates these tactile alien worlds, like the planet of Xandar. So I took a leaf out of his book.

Fans have compared the final episode to Stranger Things, though you have denied a direct influence.

I’m honestly pissed off by the constant comparisons to Stranger Things. The climax of Ekaki, where the alien is attacked, was written in 2023, whereas the Stranger Things finale came out in 2025. No offence to that show, but telekinesis is hardly something it invented. It goes all the way back to Carrie in the 1970s, and has been explored in countless films since, including the X-Men universe. Even an Indian television show like CID had telekinesis (laughs).

My influences came largely from Marvel—films like Thor and Captain America. There’s also a bit of Man of Steel in there. And tonally, I was very inspired by Jordan Peele’s Nope. I watched it alone in an empty theatre in 2022 and thought it was outstanding. It didn’t get the appreciation it deserved. Jordan Peele really hit it out of the park with that film—I consider him a guru. In fact, he too started out with sketch comedies before becoming a feature director.

Mr. India came out in 1987, Koi... Mil Gaya in 2003. Joker (2012) was.... well, Joker. Why is the Hindi film industry so reluctant to embrace sci-fi concepts?

You won’t believe the kind of responses I got when I was pitching Ekaki. People kept telling me, ‘This won’t sell. Our audience doesn’t want this—they want masala.’ And I kept saying, ‘This is masala. What are you talking about?’ Funnily, ever since Ekaki happened, I've been hearing about seven alien projects getting greenlit. All of them are about dangerous aliens attacking India. So now it’s become a formula. And they will destroy it too.

The bigger issue is that there’s a tendency to underestimate the Indian audience. We tend to think that ‘nerds’ are limited to Mumbai suburbs like Bandra or Andheri. That’s just not true. I have met a 40-year-old Ola driver in Bihar who knew what Guardians of the Galaxy is. There are nerds in Kashmir, in the Northeast, in the smallest towns down South. So we need to start respecting them.

What are your plans for Ekaki Season 2? Will you fund it independently or seek out a platform?

I wouldn't be able to make a Season 2 for YouTube unless and until I have a lot of revenue in the next few years. I’ve started writing the second season, and the vision is much bigger now. With the first season, I had to work within limitations—cut corners in some places—to deliver something engaging. This time, I want to scale it up properly, which is why I’m keen on partnering with an OTT platform. I’ve been in conversations and there’s been genuine interest, so I’m meeting the right people to take it forward.

That said, the core of the story will remain deeply personal. The conflict will always be rooted in the characters—I’m not interested in creating moments just for shock value. I do want to explore this universe further. Right now, I’m focused on a new narrative direction. I would love to introduce a female character in Season 2, and the writing will not be like a YouTube sketch.

What are some other ideas and projects you are working on?

I want to make a strong, modern horror film. Not horror-comedy or something set in the 1920s. I’m talking about elevated, atmospheric horror of the kind A24 makes, but set in India. I already have a story written that I want to direct and act in. Beyond that, I’m also very drawn to space exploration narratives. I had been developing an idea about a human forming an unexpected bond with an alien. But I scrapped it after reading Project Hail Mary.

Apart from my own stuff, I’m acting in a project by TVF (The Viral Fever). It’s not your typical TVF show. I’m primarily attached as an actor, but I might also be involved as a producer or creative producer. I’m definitely helping with the writing, and it’s a really exciting project. I think people who liked Ekaki will really enjoy it.