Cover image via SAYS
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You know how sometimes you go on holiday and randomly stumble upon something that reminds you of home? Like spotting Maggi in a Berlin grocery store or hearing someone say "lah" in Greece?
That's basically the whole vibe of Nandini Mana?!, a new video series by SAYS that's part travel show, part soul-searching Malaysian experiment.
Hosted by SAYS' own Nandini Balakrishnan, the series asks big cultural questions, but in the most Malaysian way possible.
Join Nandini as she travels across Asia and Europe… with just two flights and a budget of RM170 a day
Over two months, she's backpacking across three continents using land, rail, and sea.
That means plenty of public transport, detours, and asking strangers for directions in languages she barely speaks.
To spice things up, she's set three personal rules for every destination:
- Collect one matchbox as a souvenir
- Eat only local food (no fast food cheat days)
- Learn at least five local phrases
The trailer for Nandini Mana?! has already racked up over 262,000 views and close to 500 comments on Instagram alone
Watch the trailer here:
The first episode, which dropped on 30 June, sees Nandini arriving in Colombo before heading to Trincomalee and Jaffna
Her goal is to trace Tamil diasporic routes and explore cultural connections that reflect Malaysia's own rojak identity.
In one scene, she visits a Sri Lankan Malay restaurant run by a local woman, sharing food, stories, and a surprising sense of familiarity. It's simple, warm, and quietly powerful.
The episode debuted with over 211,000 views.
Watch episode 1 here:
From Sri Lanka, Nandini will hop on a ferry to India and begin exploring Tamil Nadu, including Trichy, Madurai, Pondicherry, and Chennai
After that, she'll make her way through Istanbul, Greece, North Macedonia, Albania, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, and finally the UK — all while uncovering unexpected threads that tie back to Malaysia.
"I wanted to explore places that feel far from Malaysia but are actually deeply linked to us — through food, migration, language, or shared history. Connections and threads exist everywhere, and I want to show it in a way that feels honest, raw, and very Malaysian. Jom lawatan sambil belajar with me!" Nandini shared.
To follow the journey and catch every episode of Nandini Mana?!, follow SAYS on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
