TikTok: 15 seconds to stardom

Nonika Singh

Tailor-made for an attention-deficit generation that’s constantly looking for a ‘unique buying point’, short-form video app TikTok hasn’t tiptoed but stormed into India. A brief ban in 2019 and it re-emerged with a vengeance and has been ticking ever since. With 1.5 billion downloads worldwide, India is leading the chart at around 466 million. This huge reach has not just resulted in massive following, but also in TikTok having its own bona fide stars, many of whom figure among the top ones of the world.

Their following could put even several Bollywood A-listers to shame; the views and likes to their videos fighting each other for supremacy. And why just all this — they are laughing their way to the bank too.

All the right moves

Like most of his ilk, Manav Chabbra, aka Mr Mnv, began posting random videos on TikTok during his LLB days in Panjab University, Chandigarh. These soon began to gain traction and before he realised, the number of viewers had jumped to a million. What was a passing fancy became full-time vocation. Today, he has a dedicated following of over six million, a host of fan clubs rooting for him and he finds himself rubbing shoulders with superstars like Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra and Shilpa Shetty. Stars are cutting TikTok videos with him to promote their films, the causes they support and a major fashion show in Mumbai had him as showstopper recently.

Well, who would not like to piggyback on the meteoric rise of these Tik-Tokers? Millions of fans automatically translate into reach and impact. All of 22, Mrunal Panchal is Indian representative of an international make-up brand on Instagram. What is interesting is that visibility on one social media platform automatically filters into another as they shine in the glory of each.

Fame to money

Harshita Vaishnav, who manages the media account of a bunch of TikTok stars, says, “I would say they are in the right place at the right time.” But even she is bowled over by their growing cult status, clout and popularity.

On an average, a TikTok star with a million plus followers makes anything around Rs5 lakh a month and the earnings of the top bracketed can go up to Rs10 lakh. While the app itself doesn’t pay them, brands certainly do.  Right now the biggest money spinners for them are music videos. With a song being launched every other day, what better way to promote collaborations with TikTok stars who have a ready fan base and a humungous one at that.

Content matters

Manav, however, feels that millions of views and hearts (the equivalents of likes) do not translate into money automatically; quality of the content they put out is the clinching factor. Yet no one knows what makes a TikTok star click or tick. An out of the blue video of a Neha Upadhyay in a crowded bus can go viral. Novelty works, so does relatability. Mrunal says no one can predict what will click with the viewers whose attention span changes by the second. Hard work could often turn into a naught and an impromptu video could invariably become a craze. But once you have made it big, you do have to give ideation a thought. Several stars are now hiring video editors and collaborations are the order of the day. A certain skill set, dancing talent and knowledge of make-up trends certainly helps.

Television actress Avneet Kaur, also a TikToker, says one needs to be familiar with the craft of acting if one wants to tap into this zone. But one quality that all TikTok stars, including the lovely sisters Aashna and Khushi Hegde, swear by is consistency and regularity. They are unanimous in saying that one should fall out of the radar of fans at one’s own peril. Stars are born and die down every day, the audience is rather fickle. In simple words, you need to post on a daily basis.

Fandom, as we know it, is deliriously delicious. Their names tattooed on fans’ bodies, surprise visits by fans — they have all had their moments. An 11-year-old turned up to meet Aashna at a restaurant where she was dining! Indeed, the app is young and if Tik-Tokers are anywhere between 18 to 25 years of age, the fan base is even younger and that makes the job of these creatives doubly onerous. “I am conscious of the fact that all these young people are looking up to me. Besides the content of my video, I am mindful of the brands that I endorse as well,” says Aashna.

Ultimately, however, for them TikTok is not just about making money; it is as much a fun ride for them as it is for their viewers. Despite a busy television career, Avneet tries to take out time to keep in touch with her fan base of 20 million. “I really appreciate when my fans tell me what to do and post,” says Avneet whose comic videos are liked best.

Manav says the app has worked so well in India because of the wealth of Bollywood material at hand. “Iconic dialogues, innumerable songs automatically lend themselves to its lip syncing format,” he says. Mrunal’s first brush with fame too happened courtesy golden melodies from yesteryear. At times, they pack in a message or two on how to treat women. Not many, however, dare to wade into political waters or court controversy, says Harshita.

What the future holds

Unpredictability, however, remains the wont of the platform. If viewers could move away to another trending hashtag, equally strong is the possibility of the stars using the platform as a stepping stone… Khushi has her eyes set on modelling and acting. In 2020, Manav intends to transform himself and work more on YouTube, which allows longer videos. Yet Aashna, who is equally active on YouTube, would never consider quitting TikTok: “It’s ‘the’ platform that has opened all possible doors.”

Since its inception, it has changed names. Musical.ly was rebranded as TikTok. Occasionally, the voices objecting to its very presence grow stronger. That brings us to the moot question: Is TikTok’s life as ephemeral as the length of its videos? 

Mrunal is pragmatic enough to understand that it may not be around forever. Similar apps, like Dubsmash, have seen the end of the road. Until this one comes to grinding halt, she advocates, “Capitalise on your popularity and remain active on all digital mediums; in short, make hay while the sun shines.” Carpe diem.

Funny or goofy, mindless or mindful… even if the videos last a few seconds, one cannot deny the influence these youngsters wield. If they were not making the right connect, Deepika Padukone wouldn’t be tempted to join the platform, matching steps with Manav and Awez Darbar and Rani Mukherjee wouldn’t be hailing Avneet Kaur as social media queen. Certainly, to paraphrase a Tiktok caption: “Not everyone likes us but not everyone matters.” Millions would just do the trick.

On the wrong side

Inappropriate and hypersexualised content, unfit for impressionable minds, is not the only charge against the Chinese app. It is believed that preoccupation with TikTok has led to many accidental deaths too. It was banned in April 2019 only to resurface after the ban was lifted by the Madras High Court.

The account of TikTok superstar Faisal Shaikh aka Faisu (20 million fans) was suspended after he uploaded a video with a message on lynching: “Innocent Tabrez was killed, but if Tabrez’s son grows up and takes revenge, then Muslims shouldn’t be termed as terrorists.” Right-wingers were enraged and a complaint followed.