HYDERABAD: Though the year started on a mellow note, courtesy: the third wave of the pandemic, social media kept us all going. No, it’s not the memes we are talking about, but the innumerable trends going viral through reels on Instagram.
Just the past few weeks have seen an insane number of trends and challenges — from Srivalli to the Kacha Badam song and the latest Halamithi Habibo step. From Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Madhuri Dixit to Sania Mirza and David Warner, these trends are the way to stay true to the times. Some of the most favourite ones have to be ABCDEF, Title, Bananza and Take You Dancing, among others. But why do celebrities do what they do — what makes them take time out of their busy schedule to dance to that one song? We speak to actors and influencers to understand the science, reason and fun that goes behind making these reels.
Divya Pandey, a content creator and actor who entertains her 25.6k fans through the gram, believes her reels serve a purpose of more than just fun. “It’s my job to create content and it’s great that I love my job. I jump on these trends because they give me the freedom to experiment with the core idea of what they stand for. It’s not just about copying another creator, but adding your touch, style or even humour to it,” she says. She credits Insights for helping her understand what her audience loves and does not. According to her, trendy dance music are some of the most popular reels today.
While making a reel, Divya focuses on what her followers relate to the most. “So, it’s not only about fun, it’s also about bringing a smile, being informative and more,” she says. Using music and filters that are most used helps you get more views, she adds.
For influencer Tanusha Bajaj, though trends are her way of life, they go through a strict criteria check before she hops on to them. “I make a living off Instagram and just fun won’t do — only those that go with my brand image, aesthetic and interests, of course, will. But, I do enjoy trying them because they push me to do something different and reach newer audiences,” she shares.
Tanusha is a fan of the transition reels, being the fashion and lifestyle content creator that she is. Talking about the kind of effort that these videos of a few seconds demand, she says, “There is a great deal of effort that goes into making these. Sometimes, it’s just me and my camera, but most often, I have a team working on and with me. For instance, with transition reels I have to ensure that the camera is placed at a particular spot and I change and come back to stand at the exact same place. It involves a lot of technicalities. The backdrop has to change sometimes too, it’s both challenging and rewarding.”
For Divya, dancing and fitness trends are the ones she attempts the most. “I also do a lot of travel-related reels too. And then there are requests from followers, so it fulfills my desire to do what I like, while also keeping my audience engaged. Watching the Kacha Badam reels, dancing to Oo Antava... were all fun. But the ones that require synchronisation with beats take more time, retakes and effort,” she concludes.