KALLAKURICHI: Hey Divya... I don’t know how to put it in words ... I love you ... Yenna accept panriya?” stammers a young man in front of the camera. And the next thing the viewer knows is that he hurls this question: “Unnoda jaathi enna?” An indistinct response is uttered, which instantly triggers a frenzy that compels him to just run away from the presence of his sweetheart.
A cohort of youths from Ulundurpet, Kallakurichi, has been making waves on Instagram with such satirical reels that throw light on the contemporary issues plaguing society. P Arunachaleswaran, aged 25, runs the show with his Instagram page arunachaleswaran.pa which garnered a whopping 3,53,000 followers over the span of two years.
The team of reel-makers comprise 12 to 15 youngsters who perform skits that take a direct jibe at the ageless caste and gender-based traumas. Their videos span 30 seconds to one minute. “Pugaivandi”, “gang fight” and “teamwork” are some of their signature hashtags with which they draw scores of viewers.
Overwhelmed by the response their social media presence garnered, Arunachaleswaran aka Arun, who is of course the head of the team, considers it unexpected.“When we go somewhere out of our district, people immediately recognise us and encourage us to keep hammering out more content. We are also sought to promote brands,” says Arun.
Local is global for Arun and his crew who relies solely on simple and satirical content to bring about change. So far, about 800 videos have been posted on Arunachaleswaran’s Instagram profile. We have not monetised the platform, say the youths who open up to the world through social media.
In 2019, when the Dubsmash app was the fad, Arun used to post videos and later upload them on his Instagram profile too. Then the pandemic happened, and it was just yet another pastime activity for Arun and his friends. However, it gradually evolved from a personal space for expression to a professional platform.
From 500 views and 1,011 followers in 2020 to 10 lakh views and 3.5 lakh followers, even Arun and his friends have a story of an uphill struggle to narrate. We did it, and we still do it, for the art, and not really for money, they say.
Unlike most content makers, this group comprise individuals of diverse professional backgrounds. The team includes K Krishnakumar (30) and R Sivadevan (27) who run a welding workshop near Ulundurpet bus stand to support their families. No matter what, they find at least an hour a day to create content for the online channel.
“This creative pursuit is not just a hobby, but an escape from everyday stress. It’s a testament to the group’s collaborative spirit,” Sivadevan says. Similarly, J Keerthivasan (26), another team member, helps his father at the family’s provision store near Ajees Nagar in Ulundurpet. He takes his time off in the evenings to create content.
M Saravanan (25), who handles the camera, is set to pursue Masters in Business Administration. Arun attributes the massive success of his team to their efforts and sincerity in creating videos. As most of the members share the same neighbourhood, it helps to keep their views on life and rapport intact.
M Nihal Kumar (28), another key member, is a guitarist who appears in most of the videos. His father passed away recently. Yet, he continued to shoot content with the team, even showing up for a shoot within five days of his father’s demise. “I realised the emotional impact our videos will have on the viewers. In fact, I remember meeting someone who overcame suicidal thoughts after watching out videos. So for me, changing people’s lives through our art is top priority. It helps in self-healing,” says Kumar.
“What started as a pastime activity during the pandemic stretched out to be a full-fledged project that has now become part of our own identity,” P Pragalathan (36), the eldest member of the group, tells TNIE.