For a 17-year-old, Hanee Chavan is curiously resourceful. For one, her YouTube chat show has an enviable line-up of guests — Ranveer Singh, Sonam Kapoor and Malaika Arora Khan have graced her couch. Daughter of a managing director of an events company and a standard 12 student at Podar International School, she has so far gotten more than two lakh hits on her videos since August.
Hanee Chavan
Hanee insists that the celebrities agree to come on her show because of the novelty of its concept. She says, “I just approach their managers. What gets them interested is the concept of my show. I didn’t want to cash in on what the celebrities are already famous for and have the same monotonous conversations about their movies and personal life. I wanted to know about their undiscovered side, and talk about topics that matter to teenagers like me. For instance, Ranveer Singh is such a cool person now as a celebrity, but what was he like when he was my age? Is Malaika Arora a strict or cool mum? Sonam Kapoor has more to her than glamour and style. This is why I got to talking to them.”
Hanee in a candid chat with Malaika Arora
Hanee is quick to mention that she isn’t doing this for monetary benefits either. “I just want my voice to be heard and reach as many people on a large platform like YouTube,” she clarifies. Her talks focus on social issues relevant to girls her age — body shaming, and dealing with peer pressure in college are a few of these.
A screenshot of Hanee’s video with Sonam Kapoor
Calling herself a ‘common teenager’, Hanee manages her school and channel simultaneously and says it isn’t as difficult. “Being a multi-tasker has worked out in my favour. Sometimes my friends from school help me with notes and studying. Balancing these two does get tiring at times, but working hard is the only way forward,” she adds.
