HYDERABAD: With a staggering number of views on YouTube, duo Abrar Khan and Shahrukh is the reason why Hyderabadi humour is trending on the internet. Their YouTube channel, Hyderabad Diaries has close to 24,000 subscribers and they do not fail to entertain them.
It all started in the year 2010 when 27-year-old Abrar, the older one of the two brothers bought a DSLR camera and started shooting Shahrukh purely as a hobby.
“I learned the basics of filmmaking and started shooting comedy and action shots with Shahrukh. I made videos to satisfy my own craving, but it led to this,” shares Abrar.
The humour and the Dakhini dialect they use in their videos are synonmous with the city of Hyderabad and its people which gives them a distinguished identity.
Their inspiration for the videos comes from people they spend time with everyday.
“The old and the new cities have their own cultures. I love old city more than the new even though I live in the latter. In our videos we try to include as much variety as possible that comes from hanging out with friends from all over Hyderabad,” shares Abrar.
Their videos include short clips like Things We Should Never Say at Weddings, Types of Friends, Things Parents Never Say, Types of Relatives and so on. All the videos are a funny take on different kinds of people and common behaviours. Their take on Deepika Padukone’s My Choice, My Choice, Hyderabadi Version received more than one lakh likes and appreciation from people across the globe.
With the Hyderabadi dialect is doing the job for them, the duo have been accused of their videos being stereotyped. Abrar however brushes it aside and stresses, “Our content is purely based on real life incidents and we never even felt the need to exaggerate anything. It is all meant for good fun,” and adds that, “there is always a danger of audience taking certain things seriously and getting offended. Hence, maintaining that fine line is important for us.”
Having directed these videos, Abrar thinks that the medium of internet offers many advantages over the mainstream media. “Compared to the mainstream cinema industry, the internet has less formalities, easier access, higher number of viewers and the response is immediate. This is the future and I want to be in it.” he opines.
The duo upload a new video every week and Abrar’s favourites include, “Zabardast, as I feel it is dark, humorous and well executed. My second favourite is the Old Bollywood Songs in Hyderabadi,” he shares adding that they plan to make this a mini series.
Details: Hyderabad Diaries on YouTube