HYDERABAD: As the number of youngsters whose dreams to make it to the big screen grow, some are making the most of whatever they have got to reach that dream. Chicago Subbarao aka Prudhvi Raj Sampara belongs to this category. With his latest web series, along with other Youtubers like Jahnavi, Manoj Krishna and JDV Prasad, Prudhvi is catching everyone’s eye again.
#Memu, features four friends who take a break from their daily lives and set out to Goa before one of their wedding. Prudhvi plays the “NRI Pellikoduku” for whose bachelor trip they all set out to. While the web series itself was released on Viu app earlier, all of its episodes are now open to viewing on YouTube as well. Playing a role pretty close to his own life, Prudhvi managed to be a part of scenes that were shot both in the US and back in Goa. That sums up his life as a YouTuber as well. Juggling his image both abroad and in India.
Going by the pseudonym Chicago Subbarao, Prudhvi Sampara has become the representative for the Telugu diaspora and their lives through his YouTube channel. To be residing a world away and turning into a cultural icon for a very specific demographic both in the US and here back home in the Telugu states is no mean feat. But Prudhvi hustles to make it happen. With over a lakh subscribers and millions of views to his credit, the Youtube star admits that it wasn’t a conscious strategy to target a multitude of audience. “I pick up from reality and my own experience to create content. It inadvertently is relatable to not only those who have migrated to the US but also those who want a peek into the lives of those living here,” he summarises.
Although Prudhvi’s interest in filmmaking is what drew him to make videos, as his channel progressed, he saw opportunity. “It wasn’t a conscious decision to make videos for this particular segment. But the potential is unlimited and that proved to be true with my first few releases itself,” he says. “Chicago Subbarao (the name of my channel and my pseudonym), is a character from a film that was quite a rage a few years ago. The name speaks for itself as a desi living abroad and the content just wrote itself,” says Prudhvi who makes videos on the daily struggles and experiences of a Telugu NRI.
Prudhvi’s outlook and his commonality with the Telugu community living in the US appealed instantly to his audience. “For the longest time, there has been a misconception about how we NRIs live abroad,” says the Dallas-resident adding, “But we listen to the same songs that those living back home listen to. We cook the same food with what we have here and we find our community and latch on to them for the feeling of home. And to put that out there had people think, ‘Oh these guys are just like us’ and that was our USP.”
Prudhvi observes that it wasn’t only the Telugu NRIs that were intrigued by his content. “Senior citizens who visit or who have their family abroad watch the content and share our videos to show how their sons and daughters live here. Even the non-Telugu – Tamil, Kannada community too have pretty much the same experiences, and so they relate to them,” he shares. And being a loved character also has its perks. “USA is filled with Telugu people. When we go on holidays, I inevitably have people walk up to me and express their love for my content and that is a lot of motivation to go on,” Prudhvi says beaming.
A Tollywood-enthusiast through and through, Prudhvi also sees the potential of films relying on the Telugu community abroad for resources eventually. “It’s a no-brainer for production houses. It cuts costs for them if NRIs are a part of their crew when they are shooting here. And there is immense talent here for their disposal. We are definitely on the brink of a breakthrough and I see a pseudo industry forming here in a couple of years,” he concludes.
— Srividya Palaparthi
srividya.palaparthi@newindianexpress.com
@PSrividya53