Small screen, big dreams

In an industry  where dreams are made, sold and destroyed in seconds, it is not easy to get noticed without a famous surname. But Bollywood seems to be charmed by young YouTubers and the  past few years have seen a surge of these online stars into Hindi cinema. While the success rate is debatable, the boundaries between mediums are blurring for sure.  

Kanan Gill

From a small-time  standup comic to  one of the biggest names  in Indian webspace with a fan following and bank  balance of millions,  Kanan has come a long  way. His bollywood debut happened with the  Sonakshi Sinha-starrer  'Noor', which failed to  make a mark at the box office.

Mithila Palkar

She first came into the limelight  with a 'cup song' that went viral.  However, it was her role in web series  like 'Girl in the City' and 'Little Things'  that turned her into a social media sensation in a span of three years. Having  done a cameo in 'Katti Batti', she  is all set to play the lead in 'Karwaan',  that stars Dulquer Salmaan and Irrfan  Khan.

Tanmay Bhat and Rohan Joshi

The superman of Indian comedy, Tanmay  was credited with the meteoric rise of comedy
sketch group 'All India Bakchod'. His Bollywood  career has so far seen him playing only minor roles  in movies like 'Ragini MMS 2' and 'Mr X'. Rohan  Joshi made his movie debut by playing Siddharth  Malhotra's friend in 'Baar Baar Dekho'.

Sahil Shah and Sapan Verma

The founders of  the 'East India  Comedy' troupe, Sahil  and Sapan have been  seen in 'Guzaarish'  and 'Luck by Chance'  respectively.

Mallika Dua

One of the rare  few female voices  in the Indian standup  circuit who made it big,  Mallika was seen in  'Hindi Medium', starring  Irrfan Khan.

Abish Mathew

With the popular 'Son  Of Abish!' show to his  credit, it is no wonder that  Abish got a chance to work  in 'Meri pyaari bindu' with  Ayushmann Khurrana and  Parineeti Chopra.

"YouTube is  a great platform  for people  to showcase  their talent. However,  with easy access, quantity has diluted the  quality," says Abhilash  Thapliyal, popular as  'The Muffler Man' for his spoofs on Delhi Chief  Minister Arvind Kejriwal.  "People get noticed when  they don't try to copy any  formula or style. Luckily  for me, 'Muffler Man'  was indigenous and the  only political satire at that  time," he adds.  Abhilash will soon be seen in 'Dil Junglee' with  Tapsee Pannu and Saqib  Saleem.

"In order to create a success, it makes sense  for Bollywood to turn to YouTube stars who have garnered a huge fan following in the recent  years. Some of them have fans numbering millions, which surpasses those of most Bollywood  newcomers." 

Soumini Sridhara  Paul, founder of 'ArtistAloud', a talent and content platform