• Varsha Sarma  of VDO Kade on building a universe, one frame at a time

To most Sri Lankans, Varsha Sarma is the creative force behind VDO Kade, the wildly popular animated series whose lovable characters, Premasiri and Susantika, have become part of everyday conversations. What began as a collection of quirky sketches has evolved into a cultural phenomenon, with fans quoting catchphrases, sharing memes and even seeing their own families reflected in the characters.

Behind the humour, however, is an animator, filmmaker and storyteller whose journey began with a childhood fascination for cinema before taking him to Melbourne's SAE Institute, where he graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Film Production on the Dean's Merit List. Since then, he has worked on brand campaigns for companies including Vaseline Sri Lanka, Clear Sri Lanka, Kopikup and Paperly.lk, created an interactive mascot and story world for Straw Hat Collectibles, animated music videos, and is now preparing to launch Monster Kade, a mobile game inspired by his much-loved characters. Fans can also look forward to the first-ever VDO Kade merchandise drop on 12 July at UHQ Social, Independence Square.

The Daily Morning Brunch sat down with Sarma for a chat on finding inspiration in everyday life, balancing client work with personal creativity, and why he believes Sri Lanka's digital creator economy is only just getting started.

Your content strikes a balance between humour and everyday life. At what point did you realise people weren't just laughing at the videos but were actually relating to them?

 I think it really hit me when I started reading the comments. People would say things like, “I have a Premasiri in my life,” or “I know someone exactly like Susantika.”

There was also a TikTok trend where people shared the funny nicknames their partners actually called them, and one person posted that their girlfriend called them "Premasiri." That video went viral, and seeing my character become part of people's real lives was surreal.

The characters originally appeared in separate episodes, but once people kept asking for Susantika to come back, I realised there was something special there. That's when I decided to build the series around the two of them.

Your followers don't simply watch your content; they actively join the conversation in the comments. How much do those interactions influence what you create next?

They influence me a lot because they tell me what people genuinely connect with. Sometimes I'll spend a long time making an episode that I think will do really well, and it barely gets a reaction.

Other times, I'll post something much more personal or raw, almost wondering whether it's worth putting out, and those are the episodes people respond to the most. It reminds me that authenticity often resonates more than trying to predict what will perform well.

Behind every short video is a creative process viewers never see. What does that process look like from idea to finished animation?

Most of my ideas come from everyday life. I've become a really good listener, maybe even a bit of an eavesdropper. I observe conversations, funny situations and little moments that happen around me.

As soon as I get an idea, I'll record the dialogue on my phone before I forget it. Then I clean up the audio, edit it and begin animating.

Animation is easily the longest part of the process because everything is done frame by frame. A single episode can have anywhere between 2,600 and 3,000 individual frames. Every mouth movement is animated separately to match the dialogue, so it takes an incredible amount of time.

Social media success often brings pressure to constantly outperform yourself. How do you avoid chasing algorithms and stay true to the kind of content you enjoy making?

 It's definitely something I've struggled with. At one point I became too attached to analytics, and I realised it wasn't healthy.

One of my biggest inspirations is Hayao Miyazaki. I remember watching one of his documentaries where he talked about eventually letting go of the pressure of constantly trying to outdo himself or worrying about how future artists would compare to him.

That really stayed with me. I still check how videos perform, but my focus is on simply making the next one. I try to keep creating consistently instead of obsessing over numbers.

Many people know you through VDO Kade, but fewer know about your work in animation and brand films. How did that journey begin?

When I was a kid, I actually wanted to become a pilot. Then I watched Finding Nemo – more times than I can count – and it completely changed my life. I wanted to make films after that.

I started my first YouTube channel when I was around fourteen, and later studied Film Production at SAE Institute in Melbourne. While I was there, I chose animation as one of my electives.

When I came back to Sri Lanka, I was producing commercials and brand films, but during the pandemic animation became something I could continue creating from home. My first VDO Kade episodes were actually in English before eventually evolving into the Sinhala series people know today.

You've worked across social media, commercials, animated music videos and brand collaborations. How does your creative process change when you're creating for yourself compared to working with clients?

 The biggest difference is understanding that your client's vision won't always be the same as yours.

When you're creating for yourself, it's incredibly freeing because you're bringing your own imagination to life. With client work, your responsibility is to help communicate their vision effectively.

I think the key is learning to enjoy both. Even when you're making something personal, you're still creating it for an audience to experience. Whether it's your own project or a commercial campaign, storytelling is ultimately about making people feel something.

You've collaborated with brands ranging from Vaseline Sri Lanka and Clear to Kopikup and Paperly.lk. How have brands embraced the VDO Kade universe?

 Most of the brands approached me because they wanted to become part of the world rather than interrupt it.

Instead of creating traditional advertisements, they encouraged me to write my usual stories and naturally include the brand within the episode.

One project that really stands out is Straw Hat Collectibles. Rather than simply promoting the business, I created an entirely original mascot with its own personality and story world. It's interactive, continues to appear in different content, and it's gradually building its own community of fans, which has been really exciting to see.

Finally, Sri Lanka's digital content landscape has grown rapidly over the past few years. Where do you think local creators still have room to grow?

 I honestly think the sky is still the limit because there are so many things we haven't tried yet.

The next step isn't just creating more content. It's building stronger communities, developing sustainable creator ecosystems and creating opportunities that future creators can follow.

We've seen platforms like YouTube create entire industries overseas, but I think Sri Lanka can build its own version of that – something that's uniquely ours while bringing creators and audiences closer together.