Exclusive - From getting a break after 350 auditions on The Kapil Sharma Show to addressing their separation post; Samriddhi Mehra of Chinki Minki on Chhoriyan Chali Gaon, struggles and life

The Kapil Sharma Show fame Chinki-Minki Aka Samriddhi and Surabhi Mehra are all set to be seen in a new reality show, Chhoriyan Chali Gaon. Recently, Samriddhi one half of the popular twin duo, Chinki-Minki joined Times of India TV for an exclusive chat where she opened up about facing rejections in over 350 auditions before landing a breakthrough on The Kapil Sharma Show and also addressed the buzz around their recent separation post. (Photo: Instagram)

I'm thrilled but anxious. There is a huge difference between surviving and living. I don't know how I'll survive without my phone, or adjust to this desi lifestyle. It actually keeps me tense. Adapting to such a lifestyle can be challenging, but since I’m desi at heart, I know I’ll be able to adjust." Despite her confidence in picking things up quickly “I can do anything because I’m a fast learner” she admits to one major fear: “I’m terrified of insects and reptiles, especially snakes. That might be a dealbreaker for me. (Photo: Instagram)

"We did expect some kind of reaction, but honestly, not this kind of overwhelming response. People genuinely felt bad for us, which was unexpected. Neither my sister nor I saw this coming. We just thought, “Let’s see how people respond.” And to be honest, it wasn’t even in our control, we were instructed to post it, and we followed through. It was all part of the promotion for the show Chhoriyan Chali Gaon, where we’re participating as individual contestants. But let us make it clear, this doesn’t mean Chinky Minky are splitting up. We’ll be working together after this. There’s no sibling breakup or divorce. (Photo: Instagram)

Reflecting on their unstoppable sisterhood, she provides, "Twin sisters have a different bond. No one can beat our twin telepathy. And I would say, no one has been able to separate Chinky Minky. We have had each other since we were children, but we have battled our own demons alone. We're there for each other, but on television, I'll stand up for myself on my own. I don't want somebody to bring me along,I'll play my own game." (Photo: Instagram)

Back in college, my sister and I were studying at different colleges. Eventually, she decided to go abroad for higher studies, while I chose to stay back with our mother and build my career here. That’s when I started fashion blogging, it was quite a trend before the lockdown and the first COVID wave. But our journey wasn’t easy. Financially, things were tough. We both took up call center jobs to support ourselves. She worked at Just Dial, and I was with OLX. Alongside our jobs, we appeared for our exams in the morning, running on just 2–3 hours of sleep most days. For three years straight, we managed everything on our own, paid our own college fees and juggled work with studies. (Photo: Instagram)

In my third year, I fully got into fashion blogging. It was gaining momentum at the time, and I started making videos, even though I didn’t have many followers then. At that time, we had around 50 to 200 followers. I remember thinking, if no one has really seen twins doing fashion blogging together, then why not give it a try? So, we created something jointly, and our video received around 400 to 500 views, maybe even 250 in some cases. I don’t remember the exact numbers, but we did see some engagement. We realized our twin dynamic had something special, people were genuinely enjoying seeing us together. So we started creating more content and simultaneously gave multiple auditions. That’s how our journey led us to The Kapil Sharma Show. (Photo: Instagram)

After giving 350 auditions, we finally made it to The Kapil Sharma Show. Yes—350! It was extremely challenging because everything had to be perfectly synchronized. We had to blink at the same time, breathe in sync, match our lip movements, and ensure every gesture mirrored the other. It was like becoming one another’s shadow, and we worked hard to achieve that level of coordination. Over a span of six months, all 350 auditions were specifically for The Kapil Sharma Show. (Photo: Instagram)

Before that, none of our previous auditions, mostly for TV commercials, got selected. In one of those Kapil Show auditions, we performed a short bit in English, speaking in unison. We said something like, “I don’t know about her but…” and continued in sync. The team liked it so much, they reworked it into a Hindi version and created something new out of it. At the time, we had no idea how it would turn out. There was complete silence for four days after the telecast. No calls, no messages, so we assumed it had flopped. Disappointed, we returned to Delhi thinking maybe this wasn’t our path. But then after four days everything changed. The response exploded. It was a huge turning point for us. (Photo: Instagram)

When Kapil sir saw us for the first time, his reaction completely surprised us. We were incredibly nervous, literally shivering, thinking, Oh God, we are about to meet Kapil Sharma. But then he casually walked in, having Kadhi Chawal, and said, “Chinky Minky!” We were stunned. We hadn’t told anyone our names, so we asked, “Sir, how do you know we’re called Chinky Minky?” He laughed and said, “I was planning to give you this name on the show.” And then we told him, “But Sir, our childhood names are actually Chinky and Minky.” It was such a sweet coincidence. He smiled and said, “Then let’s go with that—Chinky Minky it is.” That was our very first moment with him, and it instantly put us at ease. He also said he had seen our audition and really liked it. That gave us a huge confidence boost. (Photo: Instagram)

Samriddhi shares, "Working with Kapil Sharma was like a dream: "He's so humble, down-to-earth, and nice. He respects every person's contribution. I'm also very thankful to Bharat Kukreti sir, the show's director. Without him, we wouldn't have made it. I am proud of our journey. But when I saw how people reacted to the 'separation' post, it stung a bit. But I guarantee you, you will see us sparkle as individuals on this show and we have a thing or two up our sleeves too." (Photo: Instagram)

"We have looked up to Rannvijay sir for years, and never imagined we would actually work with him someday. He is so multi-talented, kind, and down-to-earth.” (Photo: Instagram)