KOCHI: How interesting will it be to visualise the interactions and expressions of the supremo football player fans amidst us? Well, Karikku provides such a digital platform. Karikku, an online satirical video channel, depicts the craziness of football fans throughout the state.
An initiative by Nikhil G Prasad, who has been living in Kochi for the past 10 years, was confident in his first attempt that began with the simple aim to entertain common folks. “Basically, these are trolls that take the form of images and videos, fan characters are created,” he said. “These are simple conversations that all the football fans will have. The huge fan following of Neymar, Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Thomas Muller, Harry Kane are focused in the new series,” he said.
According to Nikhil, Karikku is the first platform to launch the digital content production in the state.”Compared to other states, Kerala lacks proper digital content production,” said Nikhil. “We provide consistency, most of the other channels lack this consistency. After setting up a channel, they will upload an album or a few short films. After this, it will be vacant.”
Karikku is trending in the social media gaining over 2.5 lakh followers. “Earlier, when the page was started in 2016, there were only a few followers but now the followers have increased. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube are filled with responses from the people after we have started series targeting the FIFA World Cup,” he said.
Even the die-hard fans of football are sharing their opinions through these social media platforms. “The attempt Karikku has taken is appreciable, we are really able to connect ourselves with the fans shown in the videos,” said Hari Das, a Kochi resident. “After a football match, all my friends will gather and discuss the matches and the players’ performances, which are quite similar to the videos.”
The site will soon launch a mini web series with actors enacting the fictional characters. “The actors in the video are very passionate about acting and therefore we are planning on more experimentations in our site,” Nikhil said.
Currently, Sabareesh Sajjin, Anu K Aniyan, Anand Mathews, Binoy K John, Jeevan Mammen, Stephen, Unni Mathews, Arjun U R play the fan characters of Messi George, Neymar Shambu, Muller Shibu, Francis, Stephen Hari Kane, and Unni Costa respectively.
The support of friends and the colleagues are the backbone of the success today. “The support from the friends and the colleagues is really a thriving force. There is a lot of effort of people behind the screen and on screen,” said Nikhil.