Forty-two-year-old Ghatkopar resident Ulhas Kamathe, better known as the Chicken Leg Piece guy, started making lipsyncing videos on TikTok until a spontaneous food video went viral internationally. Not a follower of international mukbang videos, Kamathe poured his own unique style into his content—with his signature act of holding a leg of chicken, saying the words “chicken leg piece” out loud and then promptly gorging on it—and found them drawing millions to his channel. A staunch non-vegetarian, Kamathe shares that he has always preferred variety in his meals and has had a predilection for spicy food. But when not promoting a restaurant, does he cook the variety of items that feature in his videos? “I can’t cook at all. I can only eat!” laughs Kamathe, admitting that his wife Archana has catered to his gastronomic demands for years given his general reluctance to order restaurant dishes. Expectedly, plump legs of chicken are a favourite, followed by chicken biriyani and dried Bombay duck or sukha bombil.

Dehradun-based creator Akshanshu Aswal, 26, however, unlike Kamathe, has followed TV shows like James Cunningham’s Eat St. about North American street food and Adam Richman’s highly indulgent Man v. Food for years, eager to start his own YouTube channel on travelling and food. As a cinematographer who worked in Mumbai for two years prior to his video creator stint, a love of filmmaking further helped bring these varied interests together. With travel restricted in early 2020, he decided to give mukbang videos a try, admitting to having little prior knowledge of them.