Abhilash Thapliyal always dreamed about shifting gears from comedy to drama, but opportunities were few and far between until The Viral Fever’s (TVF) Aspirants came his way. A month since the first episode dropped online, the radio jockey-turned-actor has become an Internet sensation, courtesy his character SK’s eight-minute monologue. As one of the three leads vying to crack the UPSC exam, the earnest SK tells aspirants how only those who have perseverance, patience and dedication will have a shot at what is considered among the world’s toughest examinations. “My friends from the IRS department loved it. So much so that it is now circulating in their WhatsApp groups,” says the actor, who credits director Apoorv Singh Karki and creator Arunabh Kumar for the show’s success.

As much as the character resonated with him, Thapliyal admits he was nervous to play SK. “He has gone through the ups and downs of life, like most of us. We all chase our dreams, and if they do not come true, we move to Plan B,” he says, before adding the monologue brought with it a lot of pressure. “Naveen [Kasturia] and Shivankit [Singh Parihar] have been TVF faces. I was an addition to their world. The eight-minute monologue is the second scene of the show. If it went haywire, the audience wouldn’t continue watching the series.”