She may be all of 17, but her looks and experience in the industry belittles it. This Punjabi hustler is slowly emerging as one of Chennai’s newest glam finds — and is the quintessential flagbearer of the new breed of Insta-celebs, commanding an army of social media fans. Yashika Anand is barely out of high school, but a look at her 145k-strong (yep ,you heard them right) Instagram followers and their adoration for her — and you’d be forgiven for thinking she’s been around for a decade!
“I honestly feel there’s nothing wrong with it; making a career for oneself through the likes of Snapchat or Instagram. My fans think the world of me, and it’s definitely a ego boost for a teenager in school. Having said that, it’s also scary at times the level of intense scrutiny they subject me to; I have to be online everyday, entertain them with stories, snaps and updates.. if I don’t, they get agitated! I guess I’ve learnt now not to reveal too much of my personal life,” she says, thoughtfully.
Though she made her debut with a small role in Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru (and a cameo in Jiiva’s Kavalai Vendam), Yashika is more known as a model, and for her appearances as a chief guest in college events all over Tamil Nadu! “What can I say? They love having me attend fests, and get the crowd going. I also get a lot of offers to endorse stuff on social media — from accessories and clothes to beauty products, and I enjoy that a lot, Being a social media influencer may be a new gateway to fame, but that certainly doesn’t make it less challenging.”
Now, acting as a school teacher (!) in Paadam, and as a psychiatrist in the thriller Aayiram Kaal Mandapam, Yashika looks to make substantial progress in her acting careers, as she continues to battle with the ‘she’s easy’ assumption that comes with being a young, bold aspirant. She smiles, “Of course, people try to take advantage of me all the time, after checking out my profile. But I’ve had amazing support from my parents who have helped me stay clear of such issues, at the same time, being absolutely okay to express myself through my pictures or shoots. I have a few more Tamil projects in hand currently, but I really want to break into Bollywood next. Good thing I’m still young, huh?”
