Mithila Palkar on How ‘Happy Patel’ Set Broke Bollywood’s Entourage Culture: 'No Phones, No Personal Teams'

Nearly a decade ago, Mithila Palkar broke through the noise of the early Internet with a simple, joyful Cup Song that went viral before “content creator” was even a recognised career path. "Suddenly, people started introducing me as a singer! It almost felt blasphemous to call me that," laughs Palkar as she chats with THR India to promote her latest feature, Happy Patel, backed by Aamir Khan.

The Internet may have been the launchpad for Palkar, but craft, patience and observation have defined the years since, with the actor gravitating towards theatre, collaborating closely with fellow artistes, and treating every set as a place to learn. "Irrfan Khan sir taught me the art of listening," Palkar shares about her experience of working with the actor in Karwaan.

That long arc now brings her back to cinemas with Happy Patel—the upcoming comedy starring and co-directed by Vir Das—her first theatrical Hindi release in eight years. For Palkar, the film marks both a return and a new beginning: her first full-fledged comedy, and a rare chance to rediscover the communal joy of making movies.

Excerpts from a conversation:

Was Happy Patel intimidating, given it’s your first full-blown comedy?

Absolutely; comedy is scary. But having Vir Das guide us helped immensely. One thing that stuck was: don’t try to be funny. Play the lines honestly. The humour will emerge on its own. In Happy Patel, the characters fully believe their reality. It might feel exaggerated to the audience, but for us, it’s real. That grounding makes the comedy work.

How was the set like?

There was a rule that we couldn’t use mobile phones on set, which is very rare! Secondly, we didn’t have our own teams. We were sharing doors and vanity vans. So what films are really made for — that sense of community — we had to create that as well. It does happen in cinema, but not the way it does in theatre. In films, you go on every set trying to build that friendship and camaraderie, and then of course, once the project ends, you move on, do other things, and meet more wonderful people.

But now, with phones and everything else, we’re all kind of in our own worlds. We barely sit and chat with each other anymore. That was a big realisation on this set. It’s not that our phones were locked away or anything, but because it was a rule, we all respected it. We weren’t constantly on our phones talking to someone while on set. If we needed to, we’d excuse ourselves and step out.

So the team got to spend more time together...

Exactly! We sang together, played games. It was still a community thing. We’re all foodies too, so we’d sit together and talk about food, music, and things like that. Luckily, we all seemed to be on the same page. We’d just open our vanity doors and it would feel like one big group hanging out.

When you say there were no teams on set, you mean it was just actors and crew?

There was a common crew. What I mean is, usually everyone has their own hair and makeup team, right? But on this set, there was one common hair and makeup agency, and they did it for everyone. And yeah, that’s why it really felt like it was just cast and crew.

From breaking out with the 'Cup Song' to headlining theatrical releases, it’s been nearly ten years since that moment. How do you look back at this decade?

With a lot of gratitude. I always dreamed of being an actor, but I could never have consciously planned a journey like this. The fact that I get to live that dream still feels surreal to me. The way things unfolded. I’m just thankful. The internet will always be my home. That’s where I was born, creatively.

You were almost an OG content creator before the term even existed...

(Laughs) That’s interesting, because content creation was never the plan. I didn’t even know it could be a career back then. Acting itself felt aspirational, especially coming from my background. There was no one in my family from the industry. When the Cup Song went viral in 2016, it was a complete surprise. Suddenly, people started introducing me as a singer and I’d be like, no! It almost felt blasphemous to call me that. I had no formal training. But music has always been part of me. It’s never been far away.

That period — Girl in the City, Little Things.. — ended up defining a generation of Internet storytelling.

Completely. Girl in the City was my first web show. Little Things followed soon after, both released in 2016. At that time, web series as a concept was still so new. Then films started releasing online. The whole ecosystem changed in front of us. I didn’t realise it then, but I was riding the wave as it was rising. Even when Netflix India launched, Little Things became one of its earliest Indian originals. Looking back, it feels incredible to have been part of that moment.

You never went to acting school, but theatre played a big role in shaping you, right?

Entirely. I actually started backstage, as a stagehand. I wasn’t even on stage initially. I worked behind the scenes and helped organise youth theatre festivals. Theatre teaches you humility first. You do everything yourself. It’s a collective effort. It also teaches presence. There are no retakes on stage. You have to listen—really listen—to your co-actor. If someone forgets a line, you respond in the moment. Those skills go far beyond acting; they make you a better person. I got on stage around 2015 with a children’s musical play, then in 2018, I did Dekh Behen, which is still being performed.

When films like Katti Batti and Irrfan Khan's Karwaan happened, what was the learning curve like?

Those sets were my school. I remember on Katti Batti, there was a phone call scene. I held the phone on the wrong side, blocking my face. Nikkhil Advani sir let me finish the take and then explained camera awareness, how small things matter on screen. With Irrfan sir, the biggest lesson was listening. He was such an instinctive, improvisational actor. Sometimes I’d forget I wasn’t the audience—I was his co-actor. You have to respond as your character, not as yourself. Every set taught me something.