Bhuvan Bam on why comedy is subjective, fear of becoming obsolete, and ‘Dhindora’
Bhuvan Bam on why comedy is subjective, fear of becoming obsolete, and ‘Dhindora’
Bhuvan Bam, the young lad from Delhi who used to work in night shift as an artist at a Mughlai eatery is today celebrated as India’s most influential YouTube star and all this was only because of his sheer hard work and consistency. Someone who got only 20 views for his First YouTube video is now making history with his show ‘Dhindora’, which has become the first Indian series to cross half a billion views.
The situational comedy revolves around Bhuvan and his family’s everyday lives when an unexpected purchase leads to a series of events and depicts every common man’s larger-than-life dreams. Bhuvan, who has played multiple characters all by himself in the show, credits his entire team for writing this success story. “It would be incorrect to say 'all by myself' as I have a fantastic team, and everyone from the production, especially Rohit (producer Rohit Raj) and our director Himank (Gaur) deserves a lot of credit for converting a dream into reality.”
Looking at the super successful stint of Season 1, his fans are even more excited for season 2, announced recently. The development of the next part has already begun and the shooting of the season is expected to take place at the end of 2022.
Apart from ‘Dhindora’, Bhuvan has also received immense love for BB Ki Vines, a YouTube channel whose 2–12 minute videos depict the life of an urban teenager, and his whimsical conversations with his friends and family – all played by Bhuvan himself. So far, he has 25 million subscribers on his YouTube channel and is known for playing characters like Bhuvan, Banchoddas, Sameer Fuddi, Titu Mama, Bablu, Janki, and Mrs. Verma, Adrak Baba, Mr. Hola, Papa Maakichu, Detective Mangloo, Dr. Sehgal and Babli Sir.
The show also got recognition in 2016 in WebTVAsia Awards 2016 held in Seoul, South Korea for being the most popular channel in India.
Being one of the most widely followed influencers on the Internet brings a lot more responsibility and pressure to live up to the expectation of the audience. For Bhuvan too, a healthy amount of pressure is good. However, excess of everything is dangerous, so one has to be careful about how to handle things.
“Having said that, more than pressure, the love, and support from our viewers help us overcome obstacles and surpass the little phases of pressure and anxiety that come along in the journey,” said Bhuvan, who only fears becoming obsolete.
“This is why my goal has always been to keep trying new things, evolving with time, and just staying on top of things,” said a 28-year-old whose destiny took a U-turn in May 2015 when he saw a TV reporter asking witless questions to a mother, who had lost her child in Kashmir Floods. He instantly made a video satirizing the reporter. The video shot up and went viral all across the country.
Bhuvan says that as an artist and as a human being, evolution is the key. “We must keep growing to sustain ourselves in today's fast-paced and highly-competitive world. So, I aspire to stay on my toes and continue delivering diverse content across all platforms and mediums to my viewers.”
But what about the creative blocks?
There comes a time when every creative person faces creative blocks, he answers and adds that “It is part of the profession we have chosen". However, he prefers to see it as a way of energizing himself. “So, instead of pushing and churning out content just for its sake, sometimes it is better to take a break, step back, and reflect on personal growth. A timely pause/rest/break is imperative to remain mentally healthy and ensure that these roadblocks don't hamper your work,” he said.
We often say that comedy comes from a place in the heart and mind that is awakened but in recent times, one witnessed how many comedians had to face the brickbats and online trolls for hurting sentiments with their humour. One thinks if the Indian audience has become too sensitive to humour but Bhuvan thinks differently.
To him, “social media has made a lot of people susceptible, but I think, like you and I have an opinion, so do they” so he respects everyone's views.
“It all depends on the perspective of an individual. What you and I find funny might be scandalous for someone else. Comedy is subjective and I have made peace with the fact that you can't please everyone,” he said.
It is also seen that a lot of digital content creators are exploring Netflix-Amazon Prime or Bollywood as their next step in acting. One saw how Prajakta Koli made her Bollywood debut with Karan Johar’s film ‘Jug Jug Jeeyo’ and Kusha Kapila was already seen in some of the OTT shows. Seems, that Bhuvan is also adding his name to the list with a Disney+ Hotstar show.
Calling himself a “platform agnostic", Bhuvan says that he is also happy and eager to do all kinds of work that aligns with his creative ideas and concepts.
Probably this is the reason why he has been roped in as the face of The Man Company's perfume range. Bhuvan, who is slightly more inclined towards fragrances with notes of musk, wood, and summery vibes, says that the brand's fragrance range reflects the idea of self-made and does not sell some superficial concept like wearing perfume will help consumers attract female attention.
"The brand's core beliefs and ethos matched mine as a content creator and as an individual,” he said, adding that fragrance is an accessory that elevates and showcases our true personality.
With so many tie-ups, projects and plans is there a mark or finish line that he has set for himself. “It's evolution and evolution only," he said.
“ I will never do something I'm not entirely creatively in tandem with. I think viewers like honesty; they can see when you are doing something that isn't wholly yourself. As for the finish line, I have never given it any thought. I just want to do more across all platforms and mediums,” said the YouTuber who has also pursued his passion for music and released his first music video ‘Sang Hoon Tere’, which was liked by his fans.
Nivedita Sharma's work experience includes covering fashion weeks in Milan, Pakistan, Vancouver, Hong Kong, Dubai, and award functions like IIFA, and TOIFA.
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