Hum bhi superstar

TikTok's three big names share the whats and whys of 15 seconds of fame

There was a time when, to be a superstar you had to have Madhuri Dixit's brilliant smile, if not her acting skills. You had to have the star power that Thalaiva has to bring people to the theatres at 4 am. Or, Lata's or Kishore's singing ability. At the very least you had to portray a character on an addictive TV soap.

The internet, however, changed all that. First came the era of YouTube, where all you needed was a camera and original content. And then came TikTok which disrupted the entire homegrown superstar market and allowed a million users to reach a million viewers. Formerly Music.ly — the app for creating and sharing short videos of 15 seconds — was the most downloaded app of 2018. Most of the 'popular creator' (the tag TikTok gives its superstars, equivalent to the blue tick/verified) started on the medium about three years ago with Video Messaging Apps like Dubsmash. Musical.ly had better features like filters, choice of music, speed adjustments etc which allowed for users to be more creative. Its new avatar TikTok has easy-to-use features like — react, duet and share options which makes it even more addictive to create as well as watch. Which is perhaps why it's attracting users from across the spectrum of fame.

Sibling duo Jannat and Ayaan Zubair often post videos on TikTok together

Among the first and most popular TikTokers, as they are known, is actor Gaurav Gera. Gera, 43, once better known as best friend to Jassi (Mona Singh's character) on Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, debuted on the platform in 2016 with characters he's labelled as Chutki, Billi Maasi, Shopkeeper, and Aadu. He says he was intrigued by the idea of making videos in a new format. "It's your own medium, own channel, own platform. The TV industry wants you to play just one character and before you know it, you've played it for more than five years. I enjoy playing multiple characters at the same time," he adds. Before TikTok, Gera would regularly upload videos on YouTube creating Dubsmash videos of his characters. "These characters are inspired by people I interact with (except Aadu, which is a filter Snapchat has given me)."

Fighting for the top spot
Aside from exploring new characters, why would an established actor like Gera head to a social media platform? After all, by his own admission, making a TikTok video isn't a snap-of-the-fingers-work — he says it takes him anywhere from three to seven days to conceptualise a shot, and five minutes to shoot it. "I am where people are — that includes Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube — everything."

Actor Gaurv Gera who has made a name for his characters Chutki, Billi Maasi, Shopkeeper and Aadu

And, it's through following people that Team 07, which comprises young men from Santacruz and Dharavi — Faisal Shaikh, Adnan Shaikh, Hasnain Khan, Shadan Farooqui and Faiz Baloch — waded through Dubsmash, while still students at Bandra's Rizvi College, and landed at TikTok where they now enjoy millions of followers each and have shot to fame in the last nine months. In fact, Faisal Shaikh (a.k.a Mr. Faisu) is the leading TikTok star in India at 18.5 million followers. Their videos which have them lip syncing to music clips, funny vines and short acts Faisal, 24, describes as "different and always clean — you can watch it with your entire family." The online fame has translated offline, bringing them ads, brand collaborations, event appearances and promotions.

However, the pressure of staying on the top is immense. "It involves forgetting that you are unwell or have personal commitments on some days. You cannot afford to miss a day," adds Faisal. Videos ensure that everyone on the team gets enough camera time. "Making videos isn't as easy it seems — especially if your content is clean," says Hasnain, 21. "We spend most nights ideating and conceptualising the shoots for the following day and start shooting from 9 am. In Mumbai, location options are scarce — sometimes by the time we reach a location, there are already a few TikTok stars queuing up to shoot," says Adnan, 25. Faiz, 21, adds that regular updates — 14 videos and two photos a day — is the key to their success.

Sometimes, as is the case with Jannat and Ayaan Zubair who have 17.2 million and two million followers respectively, it's the parents that give the push. Jannat, 16, is known for her role as Phulwa on the TV show Phulwa on Colors while Ayaan, 10, was seen in Gully Boy, playing brother to Alia Bhatt's character Safeena. Their father Zubair Rehmani, a Malad-based entrepreneur insisted that they join the social media platform. "It's a fast growing medium to connect with your fans. It excites me to see them being loved and become famous every day. However, performing in front of a mobile camera, even in the confines of a room is not an easy task, even for a seasoned actor. Not everyone can master the expressions and the lip-sync. There is so much effort that doesn't make it to the final cut, but it is all a part of the process," says Rehmani.

No reverse osmosis
Yet, while being Bollywood famous can help you gain TikTok views, the reverse says Team 07 isn't that easy. Faisal says production houses do not always like TikTokers because even random acts on TikTok, made by those who have zero talent or skills can go viral. "Some even have a board outside the office that reads, 'Tik Tokers are not allowed'. Can't blame them, acting in Bollywood requires more dedication, creativity and hard work. What works for TikTok doesn't work for the big screen and entry into Bollywood would require a different approach," he adds.

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