Viral Delhi metro girl Rhythm Chanana's female crush, family reaction and more in exclusive DNA interview, watch here

Delhi metro girl Rhythm Chanana became an overnight sensation after a couple of videos and pictures of her bold outfit choices were put into question as she was travelling in the Delhi metro. Soon, she was named as the ‘Viral Delhi Metro Girl’. The 19-year-old is originally from Punjab and was in Delhi for an acting course as she wants to pursue acting as a career. She started wearing these outfits in November 2022 and has adapted to this style of clothing entirely. She has, reportedly, not been allowed to travel in the pink line of the Delhi metro. This is why she has earned a lot of fame. She started off with close to 150 followers on Instagram which recently shot up to 35,000 followers today.   

In an exclusive interview with DNA India, the viral Delhi Metro girl Rhythm Chanana opened up about her style, fashion choices and her ties with her family. She revealed that her going viral happened 'by chance' and that she had no intention of garnering this amount of fame. 

Here are some excerpts from the interview with Rhythm Chanana: 

 

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What was your first reaction when you found out that you were going viral?  

This video was first circulated on Facebook which had close to 5 million views at that time and then it started going viral on Twitter. After Twitter, I realised that my outfit choices were the reason that this was becoming a big deal. If this were to be any other country, say, New York, people would've said that this is not something that should stir up so much drama or something like this would not even be coming up in the news because it's pretty normal and not newsworthy. So, I don’t understand what the big deal is. It is all about the mindset. 

Did you ever face any sort of family backlash when you started wearing these outfits?  

I come from a very conservative family just like every other middle-class Indian family. So, it wasn’t easy for my family to accept this. But the situation wasn’t as bad that they would throw me out of the house. I have a younger brother who isn't aware of these things. He is still in school, and all this does not and should not bother him. I am not in touch with any of my relatives. Of course, I have their numbers, but I have blocked them all, so they don’t really bother.  

What made you want to wear these types of clothes?  

I have always craved freedom. Since childhood, I wasn’t allowed to go everywhere that I wanted to go, do what I wanted to do, wear what I wanted to wear. I wasn’t allowed the freedom of living my life as I wanted. So, I wanted to feel free. Wearing these clothes gives me a sense of freedom. I like to wear short clothes. I like the freedom of wearing whatever I want. I don’t intend to be Urfi Javed 2.0. All I want is to live freely and this is my way of expressing freedom which shouldn't really be bothering anyone.  

Why did you choose to travel in the metro?  

Metros are the lifeline of Delhi. Almost everyone in Delhi travels in the metro. It is the safest and the quickest way to get anywhere. Plus, I don’t really like travelling in anything else, say a bus. But yeah, a have been wearing these outfits wherever I go. But no one has ever taken a picture of me in the markets. Like I once went to the Karol Bagh market, but no one really took pictures of me wearing these clothes.  

People say that you have been copying Uorfi Javed, but you claim that you did not really know about her until you started wearing these clothes. What do you have to say about that?  

There was a time around November 2022 when I did not post anything on social media. That was the time when Urfi Javed started coming into the limelight for her bold outfit choices. That was also the same time when I had uninstalled Instagram from my phone as it was being very distracting for me. I started adapting to this style around November itself. 3-4 days later, someone came up to me and said that you look like this girl who wears clothes just like you. She has become very famous lately. I downloaded Instagram again to check out who that girl is. That is when I found out about Urfi Javed. So, I just want to say I never started wearing these clothes by looking at her. I started this all on my own. People keep saying that Urfi is my inspiration. But inspiration means that I started wearing these clothes because I saw her and that inspired me to do this. But that is not the case. So, Urfi is not my inspiration. She is my motivation.  

What are the materials that you use to make your clothes? How do you ideate them?  

So, like Urfi Javed uses many different types of materials and objects, I haven't done anything like that. Her Kiwi-top was really innovative. I aspire to do something like that. But for now, I make my outfits from clothes itself. Like tshirts or handkerchiefs. Like the top that I am currently wearing is something that I have made from a handkerchief. If we talk about the pictures that went viral, all those outfits were made from a tshirt.  

What was the first outfit that you made?  

That is an interesting question. I did not start with clothes as small as the ones I currently wear. The clothes gradually became smaller. I do not have many stylish clothes so to achieve that, the first top that I made was made from a tank top. I converted that tank top into a backless top. Since November, I have been experimenting with different things. And since November, this is the only style of clothes that I wear.  

Who is your favourite actor/actress in the Bollywood industry and whose style do you like the most? 

When I talk about acting, I really like Priyanka Chopra due to the versatility in her roles. From Kashibai in Bajirao Mastani to her role in Mary Kom, it does not seem like the role is being played by the same actress. I also really love her character in Barfi, in that too, she is like a completely different person. Then there is Kareena Kapoor who always gives killer expressions. Like in the song ‘Fevicol Se’, ‘Halkat Jawani’ or ‘Main Heroine Hoon’, they are so good that if us girls can see how good she is, no wonder how the boys might feel. She is my female crush. 

In the actor, it is Manoj Bajpayee. His acting is so realistic. Usually, TV serials and movies show a little extra when it comes to acting, but Majoy Bajpayee in his show ‘The Family Man’ has the perfect amount of realism and we can relate to it because he shows what we see on an everyday basis: A middle-class person. 

If we talk about the style of Bollywood actresses, then I would say Disha Patani. She looks glamorous in everything that she wears be it a bikini or a sari. And if we talk about a celeb who is not in the Bollywood industry yet, then I would say Komal Pandey, the fashion influencer. I really like her dresses, the way she directs and shoots her videos, the way she looks and her makeup. Her styling sense is speechless.  

Since IPL has started, we want to know who your favourite cricketer is?

I have no interest in cricket and I don’t have any idea about the sport.  

You faced a lot of negativities because of your styling choices. But you also saw people supporting you and talking in favour of you. What are your views on that?  

Let the dogs bark! Like even as we speak, I am getting notifications of messages and DMs on Instagram saying ‘isko bhi utaar do’ and ‘yeh bhi kyu pehena hua hai’ and more. There are countless negative comments. But I don’t care. A lot of ministers and advocates and people who are on higher authorities are saying stuff regarding ‘extremist feminism’ etc., but I really don’t care about what they say. Let them say, who cares?  

What came as a shock to me was the support. A lot of girls are sharing my posts on their stories saying that ‘we support you’, or ‘you are so brave’ etc. I was not expecting positivity given how my choices have been bothering everyone so much. I have also received fan art paintings and I keep sharing them on my Instagram stories too. 

Given that you have become viral, do you think that you have established your face in front of the industry or in front of the public/audience? Do you think that there is a benefit of going viral? 

I have been going ‘viral’ for a while now, but I don’t think that I have established my face. Of course, if I do get any offers relating to acting, that’s when I will know that yes, people have noticed me. Until then, the only benefit of going viral, according to me, is the fame that I have been receiving. And I am not saying that it’s a bad thing. I did not do it for fame. But if I am getting all that, what's the harm in it? I have had a sudden growth in my Instagram followers and who doesn’t like fame? But I would love it if I started getting work opportunities through this.  

Where do you see yourself in the next five years? What are your future goals? 

I have done a course in acting and I want to become an actress. So yeah, I wish to pursue my career in acting itself.  

Are you aware of the man who got booked for wearing his undergarments in public in a train? If yes, what are your views on it?  

No, I am not aware of this news. I don’t know why he was booked. But I don’t think I would ever have a problem with him wearing his undergarments like that. I did not do anything to him. So, to those who are saying that if the guy was booked, then that is what should also happen with me. I don’t know what to say to them. They should take it up with the authorities. It is not of concern.  

Were you ever in a position where you felt that your safety was coming into question? Or have you ever faced any safety-related issues after adapting to this style of yours?  

If you are talking about eve-teasing, rape and all, then no. I have never faced such an issue. People say that if you wear clothes like a bralette or a bikini in public then you might have to face the negative consequences of it. I have been wearing these clothes for a while now and I always travel in the Delhi metro. I don’t believe in all this because I don’t think that clothes are a problem here.   

How did your friends react to all this? And do you think that your strong preferences could affect your brother in any way?  

I don’t really have friends. But if I were to ever have friends, I wouldn’t be friends with people who wouldn’t support me or my choices. And if you talk about my brother, then no. My brother is still in school, and all of this shouldn’t affect him in any way.  

 

Rhythm is very confident about her choices and is fully aware of her preferences and is ready to face anything that may come at her, good or bad. The question that remains is, will her getting viral be a stepping-stone towards success in her career?