Mehak Mirza Prabhu Interview
Q. You started out sharing your stories online. What made you believe that your stories were worth sharing with the world?
Honestly, I don't think I started with the thought that my stories were worth sharing. I think I simply had stories inside me that wanted to be told.
I first started sharing them online as audio stories at the age of 35, because I did not have the confidence to step on stage in front of an audience.
But when I once did perform on stage, it was like tasting blood, a different version of me was unlocked. And THAT version seemed to inspire others to do the same. That was the moment I knew my stories were meant to reach many.
Q. How has your journey as a storyteller evolved from when you first started writing to what you do today?
It's been quite a journey.
I started with writing and sharing stories. Then I discovered performance. And eventually, I understood that storytelling is not just about the story you have written; it's about the experience you create around it.
Today, I don't just tell stories. I play with them. I perform them. I sometimes make the audience become characters in them. Sometimes they become the narrators. Sometimes an object picked up from the audience becomes the beginning of a completely new story.
I've also moved from telling my stories to helping other people find and tell their stories. Through my mentorship and workshops, I work with speakers, leaders, performers, and people who simply feel they have something inside them but don't know how to articulate it.
So, I think my journey has gone from writing stories to living stories, performing stories, and helping people discover their own.
Q. Was there a particular moment when you realised that storytelling could become more than just a personal passion?
There wasn't one dramatic moment. It happened through a series of small moments.
A person coming up to me after a performance and saying, "You told my story."
An audience laughing with tears at something I had written from a deeply personal place, hoping for that exact reaction.
Someone telling me, "I didn't know I needed to hear this today."
And then people started asking me to teach them how to tell stories.
That's when I realised this wasn't just something I enjoyed doing. There was something here that could connect people, move people, and even transform the way they saw themselves.
And honestly, that's when storytelling stopped being just a passion and became my work.
Q. What has been the biggest challenge you have faced while building a career around storytelling?
Probably convincing people, and sometimes myself, that storytelling is a profession.
We live in a world where people understand the value of a doctor, a lawyer, a designer, a consultant. But when you say, "I am a storyteller," there is often this beautiful confusion: "Okay, but what exactly do you do?"
I think the bigger challenge has been creating a space for storytelling as a serious art form, while still keeping it accessible and entertaining.
And personally, the challenge has been learning to value my own work, to understand that just because something comes naturally to me doesn't mean it doesn't have value.
Q. What makes a story memorable to you?
Emotion.
I often say, a story is shared with words but is translated into emotions as it reaches the listener.
Sometimes a story can be incredibly simple and still stay with you for years because it made you feel something.
For me, a memorable story has truth in it. It has vulnerability. It has something human.
And if I can walk away from a story and suddenly look at my own life a little differently, or kindly, or proudly, that story has done its job.
People may forget what you said, but they remember what they felt when you said it.
That's the magic of storytelling for me.
Q. Where do you usually find inspiration for the stories you tell?
For me, being a fictional storyteller who becomes a character and tells stories, my inspiration comes from imagination and all the various people I have come across all my life.
Sometimes a story comes from something that happened to me. Sometimes it comes from watching someone else live through something. Sometimes imagination, too. But most times, each story is a mix of all three.
I'm also fascinated by ordinary things. A chair. A photograph. An old letter. A pair of shoes. Give me an object and I can probably find a story in it.
Q. Do you think good storytelling can be learned, or is it something that comes naturally to a person?
Both.
I think the instinct to tell stories can be natural. Some people are naturally observant. Some are naturally expressive. Some have a wonderful sense of humour or drama.
But storytelling as a craft can absolutely be learned.
You can learn how to structure a story. How to create a hook. How to build a character. How to use silence. Where to pause. What to emphasise. How to use your voice and body. How to make an audience lean in. How to use the science of human psychology as a performer.
I can teach you the craft. I can help you find the story. I can help you perform it better.
But ultimately, the most powerful stories come when you stop trying to sound like a storyteller and start sounding like yourself in your living room, sharing something close to your heart with your friends and family.
BIO
Mehak Mirza Prabhu is an Indian storyteller, writer, performer, and storytelling mentor known for her engaging fictional stories and expressive voice modulation across Hindi, Urdu, Marathi, and English. After spending over a decade as an entrepreneur, she turned her passion for storytelling into her profession, moving from online audio releases to live stage performances. She is the founder of Jhumritalaiya, an online storytelling school dedicated to helping individuals build narrative skills and express themselves with confidence.
Interviewed by Tansha Fatin
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