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HT Brunch Cover Story: Love, socially
How former stylists-turned-fashion influencers Komal Pandey and Siddharth Batra have become social media’s hottest power couple
In a world of new-age celebrities, Komal Pandey and Siddharth Batra, both 27, are the virtual equivalent of Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh. Individually, they are stars in their own right. Together, they’re a power couple.
The fashion content creators together hold sway over close to 3 million followers across social media channels, and are all over the internet with their collaborations, and winning big brand endorsements because of that. They’ve been together for five years as business partners and two years as partners in love, the latter of which has only added to their online allure. The ride to the top has been almost dizzying in many ways, something that could be said about most successful entrepreneurs, whether in the real world or in the Cloud. But one crucial difference between the brick and mortar world, and the universe of the internet that Komal and Siddharth have to deal with, is a question that everybody asks: How real is real on the internet? Are the two of them really, genuinely in love? Or, are they together because it works for their business?
Show and tell
Styling themselves for the HT Brunch shoot, Komal and Siddharth take time to decide on each look. Chatting with us while putting their looks together, they finish each other’s sentences. They jump into each other’s arms for a quick cuddle. There’s a kiss here and there for reassurance. If we thought their PDA was only for Instagram, we’re now pretty much convinced that it’s not.
What are the pros of working with your partner? For Komal, it’s about the tacit understanding that comes with working in the same field. “I don’t have to explain my passion to him. We’ve had many fights, but they have never been about work, never about ‘you work too much’,” she says.
“It’s easy to find my comfort zone in her because she understands the nuances of the business and hence, how I feel,” says Siddharth. “This is very important considering that, because we document our business, it is technically most of our lives.”
Work-wise, Komal and Siddharth are each other’s cheerleaders—and critics. Komal is spontaneous with her feedback, while Siddharth mulls over it and has sometimes waited as long as three months to discuss it. But neither shies away from calling out something that’s horrendous or boring, even though the other person in the equation is a lover.
The trust the two of them have in each other comes from both their business and their relationship.
“He helped me become a more fierce businesswoman,” reveals Komal. Adds Siddharth, “If she suggests something, I trust her gut and expertise.”
This business of love
Born in Ranchi, Komal grew up in Visakhapatnam and Varanasi, before her family moved to Delhi 17 years ago.
After working at a digital portal for two years, making fashion videos, Komal jumped into content creation, starring in her own videos and making fashion statements that made many conservatives raise their eyebrows and leave unpalatable comments and DMs. But within seven years, she established herself as an influential content creator.
Meanwhile, Gurugram-based Siddharth Batra, who grew up in Pune, first thought he would be an engineer, because that’s what his family does. But his mother nudged him to follow his real passion, fashion, and he worked as a stylist and style editor at an online publication for men.
When Komal and Siddharth met through a mutual friend at Summer House Café over six years ago, Komal was dating someone else, but forged a connection with Siddharth, later asking him to join her in fashion content creation.
It was only after they became business partners that the two of them got together as a couple, announcing it on Instagram in July 2020. And they can’t deny that their relationship has been very good for business.
“Our opportunities have increased and we have been approached by brands because we happen to be a couple who work in the same industry,” says Komal. “Since we started dating and creating content together, our work has increased by about 25 to 30 per cent. Individually, each of us has a certain reach, but together, our reach and hence, power, platform and voice, is bigger. Our relationship has helped us to get some massive joint endorsements.”
But when does the content stop and their real life begin? Does this not blur the lines between work and love?
“If we don’t want to document something, we let the other person know,” says Siddharth. “It’s crucial that you decide how much of your life you want to show on social media. And after that, you must be responsible about it.”
Insecurities Inc.
The two may be a brand in themselves, which is is good for business, but it also means having separate personal and professional identities. “It’s tough to differentiate and disconnect between the brand and the person,” says Komal ruefully. “There are times Siddharth will simply say, ‘I need you to be Komal the person right now, not Komal Pandey the brand.’”
Being the brand means living up to a projected image, which not only means they have to switch between the image and the person, but also leads to terrible insecurities. Siddharth seems to be able to walk that fine line. “Instead of projecting, I’d rather not show the part of me I want to keep myself,” he says. “I want to be happy with who I’m being on the internet. But Komal finds it hard to always be ‘on’. She says, “People are constantly watching my every move. That adds to my insecurities.”
This is why, although image projection is necessary, the couple understands the importance of keeping things real.
“It enables relatability, which is key to being successful as a content creator and a celeb,” explains Siddharth. “It’s crucial to be accessible to the masses. And aspirational. People should be able to look up to you as something that they aspire to be, yet feel like they are in your shoes. The ratio should be 80 per cent relatability and 20 per cent aspirational.”
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From HT Brunch, February 20, 2022
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