Viral wonders

Aastha Kalia & Srishti Millicent

Remember “Why This Kolaveri Di”? The year was 2011 and the song was an instant hit. What clicked was its catchy tune and funny lyrics. With everyone — from a five-year-old toddler to a 50-year-old adult — singing the song, Kolaveri was India’s first taste of a truly viral video. Since then, many people have gone viral, entertaining us with drama, music, poetry or comedy.

One of the most recent examples is 22-year-old Mumbai-based poet Yahya Bootwala, whose video “Shayad Wo Pyar Nahi” has garnered about 4 million views. Talking about millennial love, his simple yet powerful performance has won many a heart. He says he didn’t realise how he catapulted to fame. “While the numbers were a decent evidence of it, I only realised the video had become a hit when I saw its parodies and memes.” We ask him how things have changed. He says it still feels the same as a person, but finds himself working on his dressing sense a bit more!

And then we have Dhinchak Pooja, our very own cringe star. She says she could never get down to learning music. But since music was her calling, she did whatever she knew and she cracked it. She admits she never expected to be such a huge sensation and loves it!

While videos go viral quite a bit now, it is very rare that a fictional character becomes a success. But that’s exactly what happened with Ssumier Pasricha, our beloved Pammi Aunty. Something that started out as a small Snapchat opinionated video has now blown up to become a full digital show being broadcast on Alt Balaji. “I guess it is all about hitting the right nerve with the viewers. The audience strives on relatable content. Even though Pammi Aunty is a Punjabi woman, you will always find one such lady in every household who loves to gossip and give free advice.” And fame has been following Pasricha. Pammi Aunty might soon be getting her very own talk show. “Original content will always be respected,” she adds.

While there are infinite people creating music on the internet, four boys of Sanam band stand out. They do covers and have fans across generations. “It’s wonderful how music brings people together. It is amazing to see how people recognise us. We tell them that we will always be grateful for their support.”

When you are reaching out to millions of people, it is obvious that not all reactions will be positive. There will be trollers to pull you down too. An example is South Indian YouTube star Vennu Mallesh, popular for his song “It’s my life whatever I wanna do” that earned him 11 million views. As someone open to learning, he says he looks for constructive criticism so that he knows his mistakes. For Bhuvan Bam from BB ki Vines, whose video “Valentines Hutiyapa” first went viral in Pakistan and then in India, ignoring is the best option. “Unnecessary hate is common nowadays as we see a lot many keyboard warriors. One needs to keep the head held high and do better.” Dhinchak Pooja too faced criticism online. “In real life, nobody has ever criticised my music and I don’t give a damn to trollers. I am making music for my fans and they are pleased with my content. What more can I ask for,” she says.

Fame to most viral stars comes easy, but music expert Karthik Srinivasan sees no big deal in that. He feels getting 15 minutes of fame is very easy on the internet if you get the basics right. “Evoking an extreme reaction... disgust, annoyance, laughter, etc. Sustaining it, I feel, is the real challenge and, yes, talent too.

Who’s viral

• Psy: In 2012, his song “Gangnam Style” went wildly viral and was the first YouTube video to earn 2 billion views
• Arshad Khan: A regular chaiwalla became the internet’s sweetheart in 2016 when his picture on Instagram swept people. His fame made him a professional model
• Sonam Gupta: A message for Sonam Gupta on a Rs 10 note became the butt of all internet jokes, trolls and memes. No one knows her face or where she belongs, but the whole world knows “Sonam Gupta bewafaa hai”.
• Daimou Kosaka: His 45-second video with its catchy Pineapple-Pen-Apple song and his funny moves became an instant hit with about 122 million views. It made Guinness World Record for the shortest song.

Cringe notes

One of those obnoxious talent shows was underway at this mall in Chandigarh recently. Every person was being invited to sing “Bol na aunty aaun kya” a song by Haryanvi rapper Omprakash Jha. You need to hear him to know his talent and appreciate it! Ah, well, the song has been bashed for its sexist lyrics to galling music, but that is also why it went viral.

We also have our very own cringe star in Pooja Jain, popularly known as Dhinchak Pooja. The 23-year-old earned fame with her song “Selfie Maine Leli Aaj” and was offered to be a part of Bigg Boss 11. Her music video got 26,199,090 views in four months and was no. 1 for a month when it was released on YouTube. We’ve seen people asking the same question again and again: “How is she so famous?” The answer is you and I make her famous. You listen to her content, like it, mock it, share it. That’s the whole point. Any publicity, whether good or bad, is publicity after all.