Why has Pujarini Pradhan, aka @lifeofpujaa, upset the elite, feminist content creators of social media? She was questioned for her authenticity, her articulate English, her taste for art films and books, and ability to colour grade her videos. Is it because we can’t accept that a gaanv ki ladki can do all that?
@lifeofpujaa started posting from a new account in September 2025. By December, she had grown to 3 lakh followers, and then that number more than doubled, hitting over 6 lakh followers in March 2026. It’s now been a week since Puja became the subject of conspiracy theories, which has now added over 1 lakh more followers to her account. PICS/INSTAGRAM
Pujarini Pradhan, aka @LifeOfPujaa on Instagram, was the Internet’s darling till last week. A girl-next-door with opinions any average feminist would hold. Her raw, grounded footage is what first attracted followers. And, people loved it. Her content takes you inside her living room, her kitchen, showcases her latest read or watch — pretty normal stuff, right? But trust the Internet to turn it into discourse. It all started when Niharika Jain, a therapist, asked questions about Puja’s rise to creator fame.
Sneha Roy
Pujaa started posting from a new account in September 2025. By December, she had grown to 3,00,000 followers, and then that number more than doubled, hitting over 6,00,000 followers in March 2026. It’s now been a week since Puja became the subject of conspiracy theories, which has now added over 1,00,000 more followers to her account.
Pujaa nahi, toh koi duja?
Niharika Jain’s account has gone private after receiving backlash for questioning Puja and her authenticity, which makes the video inaccessible. We watched it when it was still public. Jain, in her video, asks whether Pujaa is an industry plant, questioning how she could articulate nuanced opinions despite speaking imperfect English.
Jain felt there was something “off” about Pujaa. And how someone like Pujaa — a homemaker from East Midnapore in West Bengal — has time to shoot, script, and edit videos; has a taste for cinematic frames, and colour grades her videos aesthetically. So, it must only mean that someone else might be doing it for her.
Viraj Sheth
Joining in on this was journalist Aishwarya Subramanyam (@Otherwarya on the Internet), who posted a three-part video which began with, “Is Puja an industry plant?” referencing Jain’s take.
Subramanyam neither supports nor really disses Puja; instead, she tells the audience not to care as much about the parasocial relationships they have with creators. And, to question them repeatedly.
To follow or not to follow
Pujaa seems to have more fans than haters. But is her content actually worth following? Her doe-eyed appearance, paired with sharp takes on patriarchy, is loved, but many others are mostly indifferent.
Sneha Roy, a PhD researcher, says she loves Pujaa’s content because she’s a typical girl next door. “She’s well-versed in her arguments, and she made me realise that life doesn’t have to end after marriage,” she says, adding, "Puja doesn’t need to be saved, she has already saved herself. I like that she never felt the need to change her background, her appearance, or present herself as anyone different. She never found the need to adhere to upper class sensibilities.”
(From left) Influencer Aishwarya Subramanyam and therapist Niharika Jain posted videos questioning @lifeofpujaa’s authenticity
Then there are others, supportive of her views, but who find her consumption of films and books too curated. Sohini Chaudhury, an assistant director in the Hindi film industry, says, “Sometimes I feel like her content is a little pretentious… She talks about movies that are actually very hard for someone to know about without any access to a proper film school or film education. There are some recommendations that even film students wouldn’t know.”
Does this mean that Puja is practising authenticity instead of being authentic? Well, that’s exactly what the Internet is debating on.
Pujaa’s being human
The content creator has had a rapidly growing audience and equally growing aspirations. In one of her earlier videos in September 2025, she says, “I love it not because it’s about money or fame… I enjoy it.”
In November, Puja writes, “I’ll never be an influencer (I’m too shy).” But by then, one could say that she was already one.
Now, a few months later, she has monetised her fame and audience through brand deals with Audible India, Canva, Netflix India, Blue Heaven Cosmetics, and more.
Shubhi Raina, Lakshita Shivhare and Prerna Subramanian
By December, in a reel where she’s approaching 3,00,000 followers, she talks about how she wishes to buy land in her own name with the money she makes through content creation.
Critics could say that Puja is feigning authenticity, but one could argue that Puja is simply human. She’s dreaming big as she continues to get opportunities. And is that so wrong?
The influencer- brand- audience nexus
Any consistent creator on the Internet is bound to grow eventually in all aspects of content creation. Viraj Seth, co-founder and CEO of Monk-E, a creator agency says, “Our tip to all creators — metro or non-metro — is to not go overboard with production. People want raw, hazy, unfiltered content, especially in today’s world of oversupply of AI slop. But as every creator finds financial stability, they want to upgrade themselves.”
India’s Internet is no longer metro-first. According to the Internet in India Report 2025 by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Kantar, 57 per cent (approximately 548 million) of the country’s 958 million active Internet users are from rural India.
Yashodha Lodhi, a YouTuber better known as Dehati Madam, became popular for teaching English in a simple manner
Brands are paying attention to creators from tier-2 and rural India, too. “Their videos bring out participation. The real power of these creators does not lie in trending reels or visuals but in their influence through their culturally rooted content. The comments are more real conversations and not just reactions,” says Shubhi Raina, creative director at Creator18.
Why do brands work with non-metro creators? Raina says it’s because, “They [creators] don’t just show the product and its benefits but also focus more on how it fits in their life as well. The narrative is different from urban creators.” Creator agencies help brands keep the focus on the vernacular narratives and authenticity.
Aapko English kaise aati hai?
The scrutiny Puja’s content gets from city folk is common for creators from smaller towns and rural regions. It’s rooted in the stereotype that non-metro residents don’t speak English and don’t have opinions on society.
Lakshita Shivhare, a creative associate at a production company in Mumbai, moved to the city from Gwalior. The first response she received from a college classmate in Mumbai was, “Mumbai ke bahar toh sab kuch gaanv hi hai [Everything outside of Mumbai is a village]”. “They were surprised to know I knew what Dominos is, or Starbucks, or any luxury brand they knew as well,” she says.
It left Shivhare zapped to discover the bubble her classmates lived in. “People here have no idea what life is like outside it,” she says. She admits that she felt she was at a disadvantage, but life after college has proved it otherwise.
In the same manner, Yashodha Lodhi, a YouTuber better known as Dehati Madam, became popular for teaching English in a simple manner. Her surroundings, often her kitchen and her village, Sirathu, Kaushambi, Uttar Pradesh, drew comments like, “She must be going to the village to shoot videos”.
Lodhi admits that she is a homemaker, a Class 12 graduate, and only began learning English and content production when her husband met with an accident. “I began looking for ideas where I could stay at home and make money. That’s when I learned about YouTube and content creation. I watched videos, began teaching myself English and also learnt how to create content.
I tried a few other channels, which didn’t really work; eventually, English with Dehati Madam picked up,” she says.
Three years into learning the language and being a creator, people are still surprised that her diction and understanding of the language are remarkable.
Why so uncomfortable, bro?
It all boils down to the urban bias we carry. When Niharika Jain questioned Puja’s authenticity, she didn’t simply ask how a villager speaks English, has a college education, understands concepts like patriarchy or feminism, or has aspirations — but she might as well have.
“To me, the reactions display how class online continues to be interpreted through a strictly regulated visual and linguistic framework,” says Dr Prerna Subramanian, a professor at a law school in Delhi, and a PhD in Cultural Studies from Queen’s University, Canada.
“While audiences claim to pose innocent questions about authenticity, they are frequently assessing whether a woman remains within the social boundaries they have predetermined for her. When she surpasses these boundaries—her English is too fluent, her aesthetic too cohesive, her self-presentation too deliberate, or her aspirations too apparent — questions about authenticity often solidify into suspicion,” she says. And, isn’t that exactly what Puja has done?
Indian audiences tend to hold many fixed ideas of what rural or small-town India sounds and looks like. Proficiency in English, a refined taste, or even clarity in concepts are often seen as inherent urban traits.
Subramanian says, “This occurs because articulation in India is still widely misconstrued as an inherited trait rather than the result of labour.” Audiences initially celebrate and support non-metro creators, regarding them as underdogs. But the minute they see them turn into creators evolving or achieving monetary success, they are quick to scream foul.
Subramanian says, “For me, this occurs because modesty is accepted only when it remains easily recognisable and functional for the audience. Audiences frequently celebrate underdog narratives, but this support is highly conditional.”
Lodhi, who is also from a village in Uttar Pradesh, says, “I have met so many villagers, especially homemakers, who started creating content despite doing all the household chores. They work on their dreams, speak fluent English… So it’s an incorrect perception. We have also completed our education, many women too are post-graduates. I think people need to understand that your education doesn’t matter.
What matters is, how do you use your education? How you use your knowledge. We are just using our knowledge. That’s it. There should be no discrimination.”
Get off my back, says Pujaa
On the platform X, Puja has publicly posted that she will not be entertaining any interviews around the discourse.
On Instagram, she posted her response three days after she became the subject of Jain’s videos — with subtle humour and cheek, as is her style.
In her video, Puja clarifies that she scripts, shoots, and edits her videos, and that it takes her roughly 20-30 minutes to do so. The fact that she’s colour grading her videos, she asks, “like it’s hard?” — a line that is being compared to Resse Witherspoon’s character, Elle Woods, from Legally Blonde.
Puja has also been transparent about working with an agency, which has brought her consistent brand deals. These are all explanations expected out of Puja to shut down her naysayers. But are they necessary? Especially when creators from urban towns are not subjected to the same scrutiny, despite producing highly polished videos.
Puja, for now, is carrying on with her life and has posted another reel with a brand deal with Zomato’s District. At the end, she has boldly added credits: Shot by Puja. Directed by Puja. Edited by Puja.
1 Lakh more followers gained by Pujaa since she became the subject of conspiracy theories
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