influencer awards 2023 Archives

TECHNICAL GURUJI – Tech Influencer Of The Year

Ex : How did your content creation journey kick start?
I have been an active viewer of YouTube for a long time. And when I was done with my college, I thought, why not share some of the stuff that I have learned with the masses? That’s how it all started in 2015, as a new way to keep myself busy during my free time and a new hobby to explore. I had studied electronics, and that’s the reason I chose the tech domain. The idea was to simplify some of the complex tech terms and to make them easy to understand for the masses.

Ex : What is your most viral reel/short & how did the idea come, and how long did it take to shoot?
My most viral reel is the one where I’m packing a Nothing Phone 2. It’s got over 65 million views with over 3.6 million likes. So, at the end of the reel, I said I made Nothing; it was with a quirk because the name of the phone was Nothing, and all it took was a minute to shoot. Then, for YouTube, it’s a short where we recreated Akshay Kumar’s iconic dialogue, “ek tera, ek mera”. We replaced the pile of money with the pile of iPhones, and it got more than 25 million views.

Ex : Any 4 creators you want to collaborate with in the future?
Internationally, it would be CrazyRussianHacker – Taras Kulakov. He is an OG YouTuber who makes different kinds of quirky videos. Now, he is doing something unique, but he used to do survival hacks, gadgets, and cool stuff back in the day. Then, A. R. Rahman Sir – he is not a content creator, but the reason I’m saying A. R. Rahman is because I feel that he is too inclined towards technology. I have seen a few of his videos where he is using some high-tech gadgets to produce music, where he is producing music with hand gestures. So, if I ever get a chance to collaborate with A. R. Rahman, it would be amazing to see his take towards technology and how exactly we can blend tech and art.

Ex : Tell us about a project that you are proud of.
So, it is the entire journey of Technical Guruji, the project TG. I’ve been producing a video daily for the last 8 years, and along with YouTube, many things are happening, like Instagram, Radio, TV, and multiple things coming together, including meeting people, travelling, and covering everything, so the entire project TG would be something I am proud of.

Ex : Give us one or more hashtags describing yourself.
#chill #cool #fun #tech #technicalguruji #chaliyeshurukartehain #TGfamily

Ex : What’s the first-ever trend that you hopped on?
Honestly, I never really hopped on to any trend because I don’t consider myself a social media-friendly person. Sometimes, I’m late to the table, but I have been in a position to start a few trends, and without knowing, I’ve done numerous.

Ex : How the creator landscape will look like 10 years from now?
So, this is just the beginning that we have right now. What I feel is that with each passing day, multiple new creators are coming online across different platforms, and all these platforms are going to flourish in 10 years. Then, we’ll see the real scenario with the likes of Metaverse and everything coming in, changing the entire industry landscape.

Ex : What’s the next big thing in the pipeline for you?
I’ve got two of my shows coming on the NDTV network and Gadgets 360. So the next big thing for me would be to have something wherein I’m able to reach more and more eyeballs with each passing day, and it could be via TV, offline, online, or a mix of it.

Ex : Advice you would like to give to budding creators?
Have your own personality, and do not try to be like someone. Do it if you want to do it, add some more value from your side, and think about what’s missing on the table. Also, never go for numbers, and never have high expectations. It will take time – it might happen in two months, two years, five years, or two nights.

VARUN SOOD – Masterpiece Influencer Of The Year (Male)

Ex : How did your content creation journey kick start?
I just started it one day randomly by posting things I like.

Ex : Assuming Instagram is shutting down in 24 hours, what will you do?
I would miss watching reels, but apart from that, I’m a full-time actor. Most of my work is acting.

Ex : Tell us about a project that you are the most proud of.
I am doing two big web series on leading OTT platforms.

Ex : Give us one or more hashtags describing you.
#SoodForThought

Ex : What are the platforms you are active on – how do you decide what goes where?
Instagram mostly.

Ex: What’s the next big thing in the pipeline for you?
As I said earlier, I’m an actor first. So I’m excited for my shows to release.

Ex : What is your dream project?
My dream is to have my own big banner film.

Ex : Advice you would like to give to budding creators.
Just keep at it.

SHEHZAAN KHAN – Trendsetter Influencer Of The Year (Male)

Ex : How did your content creation journey kick start?
On a random day in the lockdown, to distract my mind, I started posting on social media for fun, and one day, something just blew up. I wasn’t ready for it then, but now I take every opportunity.

Ex : What is your most viral reel/short? How did the idea come, and how long did it take to shoot?
Laung Da Lashkara, I was listening to music one day and liked the song. I took a dance workshop on it, and it blew up on the Internet.

Ex : Any 4 creators you want to collaborate with in the future
Bhuvan Bam Parul Gulati Speed Lilly Singh

Ex : What piece of tech is your favourite.
iPod (the coolest thing)

Ex : Assuming Instagram is shutting down in 24 hours, what will you do?
I don’t think I need to do anything. I’m very content with my work. Instagram is just a plus point. I’d spend time with myself, which is a little underrated.

Ex : Do you have an industry mentor?
I have a lot of people who have taught me things in life. And every day is a new learning for me because the learning never stops. I want to be the best, and for that, I’ll always accept, take feedback and work for the betterment.

Ex : Tell us about a project that you are the most proud of.
Galti Se Mistake (Jagga Jasoos) My debut.

Ex : Give us one or more hashtags describing you
#blushboy #hardworking #believer #dreamer

Ex : Can you describe a BTS / blooper that happened during a shoot but didn’t make it into the final content piece?
Nothing as such. It was just perfect. Meant to be.

Ex : What’s the first-ever trend that you hopped on?
Woman – Doja Cat

Ex : What will the creator landscape look like in 10 years from now?
Flooded with people but ruled by the real talented ones.

Ex : What are the platforms you are active on – how do you decide what goes where?
Only Instagram. If I like something, I put it up. But it should be creative and be quality content.

Ex : What’s the next big thing in the pipeline for you?
I want to be an actor, and I know I’m going to be on the big screen soon because I’m so much more than just a phone screen.

Ex : What is your dream project?
To play the son of Shah Rukh Khan.

Ex : Advice you would like to give to budding creators.
Create what makes you happiest, create for yourself, create quality and put up things you believe in. And be patient; when it clicks, it clicks. And trust me, it’ll click because no hard work goes to waste ever.

RANVEER BRAR – Food Influencer Of The Year (Male)

Ex : How did your content creation journey kick start?
Artists have their unique medium(s) of expression. Mine are cooking and writing. Blogging about the food stories I discover in my culinary journey has always been a passion. With visual media taking over in the past few years, the mode of putting forth those stories changed. It caught more momentum during the lockdown when keeping people connected and motivated was important. That thought encouraged more content ideas. And what better motivation than food!

Ex : What piece of tech is your favourite.
My cameras. I have absolutely no guilt in indulging in them!

Ex : Assuming Instagram is shutting down in 24 hours, what will you do?
First things first, I’ll download all my content, given so much effort went into creating them!

Ex : Tell us about a project that you are the most proud of.
During the 2nd year of lockdown, when we started opening our doors again (figuratively and literally, too), I had the honour of being associated with NASVI. Together, we orchestrated a #BringThemBack campaign to train and help reinstate street food vendors, key in our culinary ecosystem.

Ex : Give us one or more hashtags describing you.
#Ranveerism (one of the first I created for myself) and #FoodSufi (how I like to describe myself)

Ex : Can you describe a BTS / blooper that happened during a shoot but didn’t make it into the final content piece?
Lots of them! But one from the recent past was during the shoot of the Peanut Butter video. I had made a Smoothie as well. Unfortunately, while plating it, the glass toppled over, and the smoothie didn’t make it to the final photo session! But we did honour the smoothie that wasn’t. We made a reel and short with the spilling sequence.

Ex : What’s the first-ever trend that you hopped on?
Again, this was during the lockdown. Everyone was doing the ‘Passing’ trend, wherein you pass on food or a gift to a friend in the following video frame, and all those frames are stitched into a single video. I did a similar one with all the chefs, passing the Belan (to each other); the idea was to keep ourselves motivated. With the hospitality industry coming to a grinding halt and being among the worst affected during the lockdown, we told each other and the world that we might not have a kitchen to cook in right now, but we have our cooking skills intact. We called that video – Belan Hai Na.

Ex : What will the creator landscape look like in 10 years from now?
AI will feature ample time. I am excited to see how creators will use tech to come up with compelling and unique content.

Ex : What are the platforms you are active on – how do you decide what goes where?
I have my digital presence across the Metaverse, X (Twitter), Youtube, LinkedIn and Pinterest. Something for everyone!

Ex : What’s the next big thing in the pipeline for you?
I’ve been busy with my maiden venture in the UAE, a restaurant called Kashkan in Dubai that opened its doors to the public on the 1st of September. Next up is everybody’s favourite, Masterchef India.

Ex : Advice you would like to give to budding creators.
Stay true to yourself and share stories you feel have value. In this vast digital universe, unique content is the winning factor.