Surbhi Rana: I'm Very Raw And Very Original, I Don't Try To Pretend In Life (Roadies and Big Boss Contestant with 147K Followers)

Surbhi Rana Interview

Whenever I look at myself in the mirror in the morning, I say, God has made such a masterpiece. 

Q. For those who only know you as Sexy Sadhu on Instagram, how wouldyou introduce the real Surbhi Rana beyond the Instagram persona? 

I would say Surbhi Rana is a girl who believes way too much in herself. I am a very confident, very honest and a very raw and real person, I feel that's what I feel, I'm very self-aware, there is no self-praise in this. I'm very self-aware. I'm very raw and very original, I don't try to pretend in life and I just follow my heart and I am a person who believes in setting goals and achieving them, so you can say I'm always on to something. 

That keeps my life happening and happy.

Q. You have built ventures beyond content. You run different businesses, so what's your biggest learning about running a business in today's creator driven economy? 

The competition is really hard. You have to work very hard; it's nothing fancy that you're doing your own thing, you're starting your own business. It sounds very cool, but it takes your blood, your sweat, your mind, your family time, everything, you have to be there, you have to make things work. 

I havetwo, three ventures. I have started this backpacker's hostel named as Vibe Hostel in Dharamshala. It's an offbeat property, it's beautiful, it's heavenly. It was my dream, I'm living my dream and when I was dreaming about it, when I was planning about it, I romanticized it very much but when I started it, it is a happy life but there's a lot of work, there's a lot of coordination, you have to be there, nothing like when you are in a job, where there are certain hours designated to your job and you're supposed to work in those hours.

When you're doing a business, you have to work 24 hours, you have to be there and you have to do it anyhow, anyway otherwise, it will shut down. Apart from Vibes Hostel, I have this very beautiful project called as Dhanyapatti, it's a handcraft business. So, it has a lot of emotion. 

Dhanya is the name of a person who was very close to my heart, and I started this brand in the memory of her. There's a sculpture of crochet and binnas. Binna is a kind of floor pad; cushion covers and curtains. Our grandmothers used to do crochet work and make these beautiful aesthetic things for home when we were young.

So, when I came back and started my hostel, I saw this culture and all my childhood memories came back to me and I wanted to do something towards this tradition of ours, so I started Dhanyapatti with a lot of love, a lot of memories and with a lot of devotion, it's doing really well. We are getting really great reviews but again, a lot of hard work, a lot of coordination, a lot of creativity. 

There are so many home decor brands out here, so you have to compete with them, so you have to be unique in a way. I feel if you do anything with love and a true emotion, it always succeeds. So, if somebody is starting their own business and wants to do multiple businesses, I think they should divide their time very wisely and there should always be an honest emotion behind it. Why are you doing it? Do you love it? 

I always wanted to open a backpacker's hostel. I'm a traveller. I like meeting new people. It's a thing which I love doing. I'm not doing it out of compulsion that I will look cool having a property in the mountains or I'll make a lot of money. I obviously want to make a lot of money, but the core is I want to meet new people, I want to create a space which is safe for everybody when they're expressing themselves emotionally as a traveler or escaping from the city life. 

So, for girls, for boys, for travelers, for every age, it's a very safe and very beautiful space.  

Q. Social media thrives on labels, but you have carved a space that resists easy definitions. Do you see this as a freedom or a pressure? 

I don't give so much importance to social media in my life. It's a source, it's a source of income. People are like really working hard on social media and making a lot of money. I am reluctant to that. Even if some opportunity comes. I also make money out of social media, but social media should be social media. 

You're doing something happy in your life; you share it and then that's it. I don't read comments; I don't read how the world is reacting because that space is very toxic. I express myself; I dance in the rain, I post that video, I have something to share on any social issue, I do that. If I have something, a joke in my mind to tell, I do that. I don't have any niche; I don't restrict myself to a niche. 

It is said you have to have a niche. If you're a fashion person, you should post fashion. I am not that niche person. I post my life in a very raw and original way. People follow me and they love me and even if they don't, it's okay. I love myself. I think that takes away that pressure to fit into labels. 

Life is all about having a good day, spending time with your parents, giving love to your friends, to your siblings. It's not about what's happening in social media. Obviously, you should be aware like what's happening in the world. You should have a political say as an adult, you should have a say in everything, anything bad or good happening in the country but that doesn't mean it should be your motive.

What we see today on social media is people just trying to restrict themselves to one thing. I think it limits their growth as a human being, while also limiting themselves at the same time. People have stopped living. People who are using too much social media, they have stopped living for themselves and they're just living for social media. Obviously, it's giving them money but showing too much of their life, expressing too much on the social media. 

Nobody cares if your heart broken and you're crying on a reel. People are coming, commenting and they're just saying something and going. Sorrow is such a personal emotion. I don't know what social media has become. I just put my reel, chill and stay happy. I do appreciate good creators which I really like. Most of the I don't know what they're doing. I don't pay much attention to them.

Q. Who are like some creators that you really enjoy, or you follow?

I'm very bad with names. There's a guy from Chandigarh; he makes these funny videos named Vishnu. He's really cool and I used to love Samay Raina but now he doesn't post because of that controversy but he's a very raw guy. He has no filters. There are many podcasters. Raj Shamani is doing a great job. Nikhil is doing a great job. I do follow those cat channels. You can't resist them. There's this Raja guy from Bihar and he is so fun. It's entertainment. I watch cringe and also good.

Q. Balancing personal expression with professional credibility can be tricky. How do you navigate being bold online while also being taken seriously as a business owner? 

It varies with the situation, I guess. When you need to have command, you have to change your body posture, you have to change your pitch, you have to come into that in a certain way. I mean as a human being, you have different expressions. Being a woman, we are way too expressive. We have that monthly cycle which comes, and we are angry all the time. So, we have a lot to fight. 

I think one should be self-aware wherever they are. Whether it's in professional life or on social media. But when the task is serious, you have to come into your heels, and you have to show that who's the boss lady. My people know that I am dangerous but also soft. So, nobody plays around with me. All you have to have is the authority of mind. 

Q. Have you ever felt like because of your social media persona, your business aspect of things has been affected, or has it been helpful? 

It has been helpful. People have been very kind to me. I'll tell you one tricky thing. When I started the business, and I want to put this very upfront, none of my friends posted a reel for me or  come to my hostel and supported me. Very few did and those few friends are only my real friends. Not other people.

I've worked in corporate, I have studied in a college. I think people who actually know you somewhere get on their back foot. They don't support you when you're growing too much. Random people people do. That is the beauty of social media. Random people who are following you, they feel very happy. They are like, Wow! Surabhi Rana opened a backpackers hostel in Dharamshala. Wow! she has a handcraft brand now. Wow! she released her first song on Spotify. Wow! she's doing so much. Some people get inspired which also makes me very happy. It's a goodfeeling. 

Q. You have spoken about challenging stereotypes, especially around women. So what's one stereotype you secretly enjoy breaking the most? 

There are many. My mother retired as a principal. She was a science teacher. But she doesn't allow me to do puja when I'm on my periods. It bothered me when I was a child. It still bothers me but since I'm trying to know my religion better, I'm trying to know the spiritual or mythological explanation of it. I'm trying to understand their logic. I think this is the approach everyone should have when it comes to stereotypes. Now elders, they say something to us. There is nothing wrong in it but you should also tell them that you have a different style sense of clothes and will wear them.

I think my parents have balanced it very well. I think I as a daughter, as a sister, I never faced anything and they have supported me. They have groomed me. I totally believe in equality of men and women. I think there are many stereotypes which bother men also. Both the genders are sufering. So stereotypes are troubling both the genders. We are not equal. Our struggles are different. So I think for everyone, not just for women specifically, stereotypes should be talked about and ended. 

If I'm partying in Mumbai, I'm wearing my good sexy dress and I'm dancing. When I'm in the village, I'm asking my mom what to do. Should I make roti or not? You should know your roots. You should know where to do what and that's how your parents will also understand that kids are open to our thoughts that let's be open to their thoughts as well. 

Q. You were part of Roadies. So what was that experience like? When did you feel like you want to do something like that?

Joining a reality show can be very intimidating. For someone like me, I could never even imagine that I could be a part of something like it. I was a medical student. I've studied dentistry. I'm a graduate in dentistry. But there is a very beautiful concept called as back-head manifestation. When I was a little girl, I used to dance in front of MTV. Now it's a back story. I told my mom and that's it. After that, I faced the usual stresses of life. I was in 10th, 12th, college, earn money, do this, do that. I had forgotten about my dancing phase.

Then suddenly when I was in corporate, in a house party, someone challenged me. An opportunity came. I had no plan to go. Someone provoked me to go. They told me that you feel that you are a very savage and alpha woman, you should go and participate in Roadies. 

I was like, why not? I'm a very self-confident person. And I truly believed in that. So I started giving those auditions. I nailed everything. Then Big Boss, those people called me. They wanted me in the show. After that I did try, but I could not fit in or I would say that I did not try enough in Mumbai. Because I'm a Pahadi girl, medical background. I can't do all those auditions. There are a few shows I'm in talks with. So maybe you'll see me back again on TV.Okay, that's very interesting. Yeah, that's a very good like I would say advice also. 

Q. For someone who is not as confident as you, what would be some of your tips?

Every human being has that one percent difference. God has made everyone different. We don't have any comparison. Our confidence dies the moment we start comparing ourselves with others. It's okay, dude. Like come on, you need to watch yourself. Whenever I look at myself in the mirror in the morning, I say, God has made such a masterpiece. And this girl is going to nail the day today.That's how you're supposed to start your day. And you will start loving yourself. 

You practice it. Confidence is something will not come magically. You practice it. You start your day like you're the winner of your life and you're going to write your day and you're going to nail it. Every day, each day by day. And you will see in no time you'll be talking like me. Self-obsessed.

Q. Now we have come to the last part of this interview. We'll have a rapid fire round. You just have to answer in one word. 

(i) If you could launch one completely outrageous business that totally fits your vibe, what would it be? 

It would be a platform where people will come and they will speak about their flaws for five minutes everyday. Not talking about anything positive in them. And it's a kind of therapy which I want to start. So basically, I want to become a healer. Healer is the word. 

(ii) One rumor that you would like to spread about yourself?

That I'm a good girl. 

(iii) What would be a dream collab for you? 

It would be with Shah Rukh Khan. I love that man. I have met Shah Rukh Khan. He has praised me also. But I want to spend more time with that man. That man started with zero, nothing in the hand. He was a commoner. One Shah Rukh Khan and also Muhammad Ali. 

(iv) Weirdest thing that you've done for Instagram? 

Put filters. 

(v) Your most attractive feature according to you. 

My personality. Okay. Physical feature, I don't care much. But the moment I start talking, I will win your heart. 

Bio:

Surbhi Rana, better known by her bold alter ego Sexy Sadhu, is a creator, entrepreneur, and fearless voice who blends spirituality, wit, and unfiltered opinions into content that sparks conversations. She has been a part of shows like Roadies and Big Boss. Known for her unapologetic take on life, love, and culture, she uses her platform not just for entertainment but to challenge taboos, inspire individuality, and celebrate self-expression. Whether she’s speaking about business, lifestyle, or social trends, Surbhi stands out as someone who refuses to fit into boxes, making her community think, laugh, and question along the way.

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Interviewed by: Rupal Kargeti