Only with a phone camera, confidence, and a creative worm, Bhuvan Bam has taken the Youtube world by storm. Starting with merely 15 views on his first video, today, videos on his Youtube channel “BB K Vines” alone get views of probably 2-3 Bollywood movie trailers combined. He has redefined creativity in the Alternative Comedy genre. His style, story-telling, and video-making approach are symbolic of the fact that standing alone to stand apart pays off.
Do not be under the impression that a Youtuber this successful must spend probably lakhs to make a perfect video. His expense of making a video is Rs. 0 in terms of logistics. All he needs is a phone camera (he doesn’t use an iPhone, by the way, :p), some wigs/fake moustaches for characters, which is a one-time cost, and a basic video editing software. You’d say, this way, anyone with a smartphone (which is everyone?) can become Youtube stars. Well, yes; only if you could manage to chalk out stories, characters, and narrative, as engaging as his, also hold the phone camera to shoot the video, enact all the characters with just one hand free (the other is holding the phone) and do justice to their character arcs, do voice modulations, edit the videos yourself, possess the courage to make a fool out of yourself if the video tanks, and still be consistent for years expecting success to peep through your window in case it doesn’t knock your door, well yes you can. How many of us can be a one-man army with a belief that we will take on the world one day?
Hailing from Delhi, Bhuvan thinks of himself as a singer at heart who can also do comedy. His university degree from the Shaheed Bhagat Singh College says he is a Bachelor in History. However, his work portfolio boasts about his career, not just as a comedian, but as a singer, interviewer, actor, and influencer. Just like his videos, he assumes many roles in real-life too. The idea of entertaining had been in mind since his school days. However, his first video in June 2014, “The Chakna Issue” garnered only 15 views. Not the one with a weak heart, Bhuvan continued to produce videos and sharing it on Facebook for over a year. His talent got a wider recognition, first in Pakistan and Bangladesh, when a video of him mocking a journalist for asking a victim of the Kashmir floods in May 2015, insensitive questions such as “how does it feel to lose your son due to floods?” went viral in May 2015. He felt it was the right time to make his Youtube debut. Hence, in June 2015 he opened his channel – BB K Vines.
His content is not just supremely original but is inspired by the real-life hustle of common people and their families, making it relatable. He plays various Hindi-speaking characters that reflect the mannerism of people especially in North India and creates content appropriate for people above 18 years to watch as it uses explicit and abusive language. This has earned him his fair share of criticism, but to his defence come his fans who argue that it is how the youth, especially the ones hailing from Delhi usually talk. His fan following has had no looking back in spite of the criticism. Not only did he become the first Youtuber to hit the 1 million mark, but he has also made the big names of Bollywood, including Karan Johar and Shahrukh Khan root for him. He recently collaborated with Lilly Singh, an international Youtube superstar, and earned the Filmfare award for his short film with Divya Dutta.
The endearing part about Bhuvan Bam’s content is that they are socially relevant, and boldly call out on various social issues through comedy. He makes sure that any video is not a compromise on his standards, and put up only to fill up schedules. He posts when he feels like, and shares a great rapport with his fans who appreciate his commitment to his craft. Apart from being a comedian, he is an independent musician with 5 song releases to date, and an interviewer hosting various Bollywood celebrities. He has numerous prestigious awards to his name including the ones from International platforms such as WebTvAsia.
Bhuvan Bam inspires us to shed our inner inhibitions about how other people will perceive us, and simply focus on how true we stay to our dreams. It is not about being the best at what everyone is doing, but about being original. Bhuvan Bam has years of success to follow because he is a guy whose commitment to his craft did not deter when he had 15 views then and has 15 million-plus views now.
