Cashing in on Hyderabadi humour’s universal appeal are youngsters from the city, who give us a dose of their humour through their YouTube channels. These include Hyderabad Diaries, The Baigan Vines, Kantri Guyz, Shakeel Bhai, Hyderabadi Kalab, Hyderabadi Bratz, and the list of channels go on... “Hyderabadi humour clicks with the masses because of the peculiar slang which fascinates and enthrals not just the Hyderabadi, but everyone else,” says Shahrukh K. Adnan, who runs Hyderabad Diaries with Abrar Khan. Their channel has over one lakh subscribers.
Syed Viquar Mohiuddin, 20, who runs Kantri Guyz with Khaja Misbahuddin, Syed Atif Mohiuddin and Md Abdul Samad, agrees, adding, “When people from other cities watch our videos, they say that though they don’t understand some words, they find the slang funny.” For the money they earn, make a career out of it is an easy choice. They also market themselves on other social media platforms to keep their audience engaged. More the number of subscribers, more are the number of views and the money you make. The amount depends on the ‘Cost per thousand impressions’, which is now at $2 (per thousand views).
Kantri Guyz: Md Abdul, Atif, Viquar and Khaja Misbahuddin
Says 22-year-old Aamer Bin Ishaq, who is part of The Baigan Vines, “It’s your talent that keeps people entertained, and that doesn’t come for free. Earning money boosts our morale, and helps us buy equipment and make the videos more innovative. Since we are students, this also acts as pocket money.” The creators also agree that it’s not always the money, but the passion to make such videos that keeps them going. The topics they choose are very different from one another, but they all capture the essence of the city and its people. These videos often go viral among Indian communities in US, Canada, the UK and the Middle East, among others.
Hyderabad Diaries: Shahrukh K. Adnan and Abrar Khan
Viquar, who started Kantri Guyz in 2014, says, “We are the only ones who do parodies. We are also planning short films and a web series soon.” Incidentally, Kantri Guyz won the YouTube NextUp held in India last month, being one of the 30 channels to be invited. “What makes us different is that we make sure we include all classes of the society. We also try to concentrate on what’s trending,” says Aamer, while Shahrukh adds, “We make videos that are quirky and that which appeals to everyone.”
