Sitting in his apartment one evening, bored with the lull in his life Sumier S. Pasricha was fooling around with the Snapchat filters on the popular social media app when he came across one that superimposed a green mask and ginormous pink sunglasses on his face. In drag, Pasricha decided to make a funny video mimicking the quintessential, well-meaning but gossip loving Punjabi aunty that every desi across the globe can relate to.

Pasricha had no idea his spontaneous video would become a viral hit. The rest, as they say is history. But while it may seem that Pammi Aunty was Pasricha’s big break the multifaceted actor has a long creative resume that even includes an MBA from Australia.

"I’ve been performing theatre since I was 10 years old," he told Instep in a long-distance interview. "I moved to Australia till my post graduate and funnily enough, I never earned anything from my degree. While I was in the land down under I also had a brief stint as radio jockey. When I came back I joined my father in his business but that didn’t stimulate my creative side so I asked my father if I could leave the family business to pursue my dreams. He wasn’t very thrilled but acquiesced in a very ‘Ja, Simran ja, jee lay apni zindagi,’ moment," claims Pasricha, referencing a popular Bollywood movie (DDLJ) dialogue.

Upon trying his luck in a cut throat competitive industry, Pasricha had a strong launch. "My first commercial turned out to be one for Ideas cellular network with Abhishek Bachchan, who endorses the brand. After that I joined the cast for a TV show titled Susral Simar Ka and I was on it for three years but there wasn’t room in the script to really utilise my capabilities so I parted ways with the team on a mutual, positive note," he explains. Pasricha, it appears, values creative fulfilment more than pay cheques, an attitude that is hard to come by in this capitalistic era.

Talking to Pasricha about Pammi Aunty, one realises that the character isn’t just a mindless personality but someone whose life and aspirations have been fleshed out by the creator. "Pammi Aunty is a typical Punjabi woman who migrated to Delhi after she got married. She’s a master in economics so she’s well educated but that doesn’t mean she’s always politically correct. Pammi Aunty’s life is defined in terms of her family so whenever she approaches a topic it’s coming from a place close to home. She loves gossiping with her friend Sarla Bhenjee and she loves to complain about her daughter in law.

Even when she’s talking about foreign affairs or matters that are globally being discussed like the Brexit or the Pokémon craze, Pammi Aunty views it from the lens of her family and how it’ll effect her household.

"Amusingly, the virality of Pammi Aunty surprised me but what really astounded me was how far her character resonated with audiences all over the world. Turns out Pammi Aunty isn’t a Punjabi phenomenon but someone all sub-continental families and even diaspora can relate to. I’m genuinely overwhelmed by the response," the multi-talented actor states.

Pammi Aunty has already crossed 50 videos in the few short months since it commenced and the craze is nowhere near abating. Part of it also has to do with Pasricha’s media savviness that helps him focus on topics that are trending and hit the nail on the head.

Speaking about celebrating the quarter century milestone, Pasricha laughingly claims that he feels like it’s his 50th birthday instead of Pammi Aunty’s. "I have a Pammi Aunty styled celebration in mind where I imagine she turns to Sarla Bhenjee and exclaims how excited she is to turn fifty and Bhenjee shoots her down by saying ‘You’ve been turning fifty the last five years!’" he reveals with a laugh.

For a lot of viewers, apart from Pasricha’s humour there was something else strikingly familiar about him - he’s often been mistaken for a Shah Rukh Khan doppelgänger. "I’ve always taken it as a compliment when people say I have some resemblance to Shah Rukh Khan. The speculation is quite old actually, someone first pointed it out to me in 1998 in Los Angeles. Frankly though, Shah Rukh Khan is larger than life and I’m humbled that people can even think of us in the same sentence. I’d love to get a chance to work with him and if it’s a role that plays on identity then I can safely say it’s a dream come true!" Pasricha acknowledges.

Talking to Pasricha about Pakistan reveals that he’s a fan of our local television shows which are televised on particular channels across the border. He claims he’d love to visit the country, "I’d love to get a chance to bring Pammi Aunty to Pakistan or better still, actually get a role in one of your wonderful serials. Who knows, someone might read this interview there and decide to cast me!"