Richa Chadha Explains Why ‘Musafiri’ Is on YouTube, Not a Streamer: ‘I Wanted Even More Creative Control’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Richa Chadha has added a new title to her already eclectic resume: YouTuber. The actor-producer has turned the camera on Mumbai for her first travel series, “Musafiri,” stepping away from the traditional film and streaming ecosystem to explore the city’s lesser-known corners. For Chadha, YouTube isn’t just another platform; it gives her the freedom to call the shots. With plans to eventually take the series beyond Mumbai and across India, she tells Variety India that the ability to create without executives deciding what will or won’t work was a big part of the appeal.

For Chadha, the decision came down to having greater control over what she creates and how audiences access it. “I wanted even more creative control than I previously had with being a producer. You need to apply for grants and do a lot of other work [for projects as a producer]. But YouTube gives me a different sense of agency. I’m currently really enjoying that. I am also enjoying the freedom it gives me,” she explains.

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Chadha says there were other factors that drew her to YouTube. She quips, “I don’t want to listen to some executives telling me about what will work and what will not work. Because they don’t have my education. They may not. Secondly, I wanted to make an educational show and education should be free. That’s my opinion. That’s why I didn’t want to put it on a platform that has a subscription model, and it’s on YouTube. You can watch it in Ireland, Pakistan or Kenya.”

For the travel series, Chadha has created a YouTube channel called “Phull Stop.” Asked whether she plans to collaborate with other creators on the platform, she says it is too early to comment. The actor adds, “Primarily, I think both Ali [Fazal, husband] and I are interested in different things. So we will put stuff that we do outside of the restrictions of a traditional producing framework because YouTube also gives you that freedom. Then we will see.”