With his latest supernatural web-series Ekaki turning into a stupendous success on YouTube, Ashish Chanchlani has once again proved not just his massive reach, but also his evolving creative vision. Marking his directorial debut while also starring in the series, Ekaki showcases a bold, experimental side of him deeply invested in storytelling. The show is already being hailed as one of India’s most successful sci-fi web-series, a genre that has rarely witnessed such scale and reception.
Shedding light on a defining decision, Ashish Chanchlani revealed how he was close to locking an OTT deal that would have comfortably covered their risks, but he rejected it and went ahead with releasing the series on YouTube for a wider reach. “Even when OTT platforms were ready to offer us a deal that was 5–6 crores above our estimated budget, I did not see it as a win in the conventional sense. We were looking at nearly a 10-crore risk, something that could have been easily taken care of. It was the safer call," he said.
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Adding further, Ashish Chanchlani said, “But I kept coming back to one simple thought that the audience that had stood by him for years deserved to experience it without barriers. I believed that on OTT, it would become just another show. On YouTube, it could become something bigger something that truly belongs to the audience.”
Meanwhile, that clarity shifted the entire approach from focusing on revenue to prioritising reach and audience connection. That belief eventually translated into a massive success story. The finale, Ekaki: Chapter 5, became the most viewed long-format video within 24 hours, crossing 1 crore views, and now stands at over 22 million views and counting. With a cumulative reach of 143 million across all episodes, Ekaki has emerged as one of the biggest long-format successes in India achieved without OTT backing and with completely free access for audiences.
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What makes the journey even more remarkable is the scale of risk involved. Ashish Chanchlani self-funded the project, taking on multiple roles as producer, writer, director, and actor. The team also faced a major setback when a hard drive crash wiped out nearly 20% of the VFX work, erasing months of effort overnight yet they persevered and delivered. People like Ashish are rare. By choosing to reach over revenue, he has created a new success matrix for YouTube storytelling.
On the work front, Ashish Chanchlani will next be seen in his upcoming film College Fest.