Content creator to entrepreneur: Dolly Singh launches candle line
Influencer-actor Dolly Singh has launched an exclusive candle line in association with RAD Living. She speaks about this new phase in her life and more.
The most endearing quality about actor-influencer Dolly Singh’s videos is her girl-next door persona. And, it’s this relatability – warts and all – that brought her fame. And also launched her career as an actor.
Dolly was seen in Netflix’s Bhaag Beanie Bhaag, the APV anthology Modern Love, and Lionsgate’s Feels Like Home in 2022. She also featured in the music video of Ritviz’s Pran and has also collaborated with celebrities like Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Kangana Ranaut, Ayushmann Khurrana among others.
This Nainital girl, hugely popular for her online avatars, Raju ki Mummy, the South Delhi girl ever dependent on her help; Sunita, the savage Guddi Bhabhi; or the fearless Zeenat; has taken the social media scene by storm.
This year, in what she insists is not a natural progression in her career, Dolly has launched an exclusive candle line with RAD Living.
“I was openly dodging any kind of collaboration for the past three to four years. There are so many things involved when you launch something because it’s your face and you are selling it. And, people are going to buy it because they love you and follow you,” she tells HerStory.
During the pandemic, like many others, Dolly too collected candles and found the fragrances therapeutic. While the association with RAD Living was not planned, she put her quirky creative spark into naming the different candles in the collection to appeal to her audience.
Life comes full circle
But, it was also life coming full circle. As a child, she often woke up to the smell of paraffin wax in the house, as her mother used to make candles.
“Nainital was well-known for its candles and my mother also made them at home and my father sold them. It was an extra source of income for us. Now, she has stopped making them, but my father still sells candles,” she says.
The Dolly Singh line of scented candles by RAD Living has her touch and reflects her personality.
“I wanted my collection to focus on manifestations and affirmations that I believe are great practices because there is a lot of positive thinking involved. I also felt that maybe I could take it on and turn it into a humorous trend,” she adds.
So, the candles have names like Sugar Momma, Fuckboi Repeller, Saste Nashe, Goa Trip, 25 Din Main Paisa Double, and Nazar Blocker.
Targeting a younger audience, mostly Gen Z, Dolly says it took her some time to come up with names that correspond with the fragrance of each candle. For example, the Goa candle is ocean-scented while the Nazar Blocker is an orange-lime scented candle.
“My involvement with the collection has been from scratch, from the content to the packaging. Also, I also wanted them to be affordable while being exclusive. They are priced at Rs 499 each,” she says.
With collaborations and partnerships a norm in every influencer’s life today, is she careful about what she endorses?
“I think it’s extremely important because working on the internet can be unstable; you don’t know what kind of shelf life you will have. You can try your best to extend it and keep it going, but at the same time it’s important to tap into your personal branding,” she says.
Dolly has also collaborated with Katrina Kaif for her brand Kay Beauty, which calls a “sweet, fun one”.
Of the experience she says, “Katrina had already done a few videos with other influencers. And, since it’s Katrina, I knew I really couldn’t make jokes. I requested the team for a sketch on Instagram and made her come out of her comfort zone. It was fantastic.”
In between all these, Dolly’s acting career is also taking off. But she’s quick to point out that acting didn’t happen easily because she was creating content.
“I still have to audition for roles. A little bit of typecasting happens after a point but that’s okay. I am very grateful for the opportunities. I’ve done the comedy bits and the best friend roles and am now trying to do impactful ones,” she says.
Her upcoming films include Sonakshi Sinha-starrer Double XL and Bhumi Pednekar-starrer Thank You For Coming.
So, in a world teeming with content, how does she stay relevant and relatable? Dolly admits it can be hard and it’s easy to lose yourself and for people to lose you.
“There are trends where hundred people are doing the same thing and dancing to the same song. At the end of the day, it’s important to have that something only you can bring to the table. People know me for my original content. If you are honest about your content, you became relatable,” she says.
As for the trolling, Dolly believes it’s important to engage with the audience, and read their comments and messages. She admits that she and her friends go for therapy.
“[People who] are trolling are very jobless and have nothing going on their lives in terms of entertainment. My coping mechanism lately is to just feel sorry for them and this has served me well,” Dolly signs off.
Edited by Teja Lele