Sumeet Vyas, Nidhi Singh on Permanent Roommates going audio: 'We're letting you in our private conversations'

Indian digital sphere may be churning content like clockwork at present but, it was Permanent Roommates series that laid the foundation for long-form content through the medium of streaming almost eight years ago.

Created by The Viral Fever, Permanent Roommates tells the story of Tanya [Nidhi Singh> and Mikesh [Sumeet Vyas>, who have been in a long-distance relationship for three years. When the show begins, Mikesh has just moved back to India from the US to propose to Tanya. He is on his knees with a ring in his hand, and she is not too sure about any of this. In Season 2, the couple discover they are pregnant, deal with the ‘first meeting with his parents’ event, and end the season on a high note, with help from veteran actor Asrani as Mikesh’s grandfather.

The rest of it is, well, a sharable YouTube Playlist.

Launched in October 2014, the show became massively popular — with both seasons clocking over million views. In 2020, the series took different direction and launched a one-of-a-kind audio show titled, Permanent Roommates: He Said, She Said for Amazon’s Audible.

The third season of Permanent Roommates, released on 14 February and on Audible, is a prequel to the web series, and reveals, for the first time, how Mikesh and Tanya met and fell in love. Season 3 of the audio series meets the couple after they have been in a long-distance relationship, with Mikesh and Tanya realising they are destined for a permanent future together.

In an interview with Firstpost, actors Sumeet Vyas and Nidhi Singh get candid about the new avatar of Permanent Roommates, the challenges of the medium, and more.

Permanent Roommates is often dubbed as the first web series of India. It has been eight years since the first season premiered. How has your journey been so far for you as individuals, and as a show? 

Vyas: The journey has been quite adventurous I would say because it not only changed our lives as actors but also added a new form of entertainment. It was a pioneer of sorts, and we were just lucky to be a part of it. It is not like we were going to change the system or anything like that, but we were and are grateful to be a part of something that was new, experimental, and see it worked. It actually changed our life for good.

Singh: First of all, it doesn’t feel like eight years at all. It’s just as new because the characters feel like friends. There’s a familiarity in revisiting them; the writing and banter is so beautiful and fun. The show has such a fun universe, and indulging in it feels like revisiting an old, good hobby. I always feel refreshed, rejuvenated, and never come out tired. The minute you said eight years, I went on a nostalgic trip.

The plot summary of Season 3 mentions Mikesh and Tanya are struggling with long distance, and take a memory down the lane. What can one expect from it?

Vyas: [laughs> There will be a bunch of Mikesh’s trademark coooool’s.

Singh: You will be hearing about their meet-cute. The part when they were just seeing each other, and not dating. And how they were as a couple at that point, and what led to the relationship. It’s so strange we have been with the characters for so long, but even we were curious about how did it began, what actually happened. It is very cute, going back in time, there are a lot of nice moments. Audio, as a medium, is so intimate, like talking to someone over the phone. There’s a sense of familiarity and intimacy, like hearing them talk almost feels like eavesdropping into their life, but you are also a part of it.

Since there was no visual aid while making the show, do you think it will be easier or difficult to connect to the audience?

Vyas: I don’t know how easy or difficult it will be to connect but I find audio to be the most liberating medium.

Because when you are shooting for something, visual plays a huge part. With audio, performance and script are a big part. There is no other layer to it. I don’t have to worry about my location, the lights or how I am looking.

There are no distractions for it is a very concentrated environment and all you have to do is to focus on the script, and I find it thoroughly enjoyable. I also listen to a lot of audiobooks so it was easier for me to indulge in this.

Singh: Audio as a medium is folklore, storytelling; something that we have always known that if the storyteller is engaging enough, you would continue reading, hearing. Sound is something we remember, we register for the first time, we might not see it well, but we can recognise it. Audio is a very strong medium, and to be a part of something like this and come in as Tanya and Mikesh, characters that have been adored by audiences for such a long time, is just great. We are letting you in Tanya and Mikesh’s private conversations. So yeah, I thoroughly enjoyed speaking my lines in absolute abandon, almost feeling liberated at the moment.

On a lighter note, do you guys think Tanya and Mikesh’s relationship would have survived if the two were stuck together during the lockdown?

Vyas: I think Mikesh would have loved being stuck with Tanya during lockdown because then she couldn’t have run away from him. Mikesh would have definitely preferred it.

Singh: He would drive her up the wall absolutely but it would also take their relationship to the next level. That’s the friction right? There’s no fun without some drama. It would have been boring.

Permanent Roommates Season 3 is streaming on Audible.

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