NEW DELHI: Always drawn to the Indian film scene, Gyanendra Shukla left his banking job in 2014, dreaming of a future in motion pictures. Unfamiliar with the industry’s ins and outs, he spent years experimenting — until one day, everything clicked, bringing the spotlight not only to him, but also his tiny village.
It was a part of the 2003 Indian comedy drama “Munna Bhai M.B.B.S” that made Shukla study the technical aspects of filmmaking.
“At the end of the movie, they were showing behind-the-scenes cuts and all and that really impressed me,” Shukla told Arab News.
In 2018, he and his friend created a comedy channel “Being Chhattisgarhiya” — the first YouTube channel in Tulsi, a village of 15,000 in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh.
“The film got a good response and people appreciated it, and this was a big encouragement for us,” Shukla said.
“In 2018, YouTube was not a big thing ... Initially, me and my friend were not aware about editing and all. We would rehearse our part and record it and upload. Later on, we came to know the concept of editing and gradually through the Internet we learnt editing.”
Slowly, they would start to involve their neighbors and other villagers in the project. Seven years into the YouTube channel, Shukla now has a team of 200 people, and dozens of others in Tulsi who followed in his footsteps and became content creators.
“There are around 40 YouTube channels in the village and many of them make a livelihood out of (it) ... My channel has 127,000 subscribers. (Per month) we usually earn 35,000 rupees ($410).”
As production costs can be high, not all of Tulsi’s content creators are able to support their families solely from the platform. While the business is booming in the village, the majority of them still take on side jobs.
Shukla himself does wedding shots to earn extra income.
“If you have 1,000 subscribers, your monetization process starts. I advise people to have a second source of income,” he said. “But it feels nice that my village has got international attention. What we are telling through YouTube is our stories, showcasing our cultures and immense talent that the new generation of villagers has.”
The success of the village content creators caught the attention of local officials. In 2023, impressed by their achievements, the state government set up a digital studio in the village.
Named Hummer Flix, it is equipped with gimbals, cameras, computer systems and other film-shooting equipment, including drones.
“The studio is a recognition of the local talents. Hope more new talents will come out and they will make movies which go international and attract attention of the wider audience,” Gulab Singh Yadav, former village head and member of the village committee, told Arab News.
About 2.5 billion people use YouTube each month, with India being one of the platform’s largest markets. Shukla’s “Being Chhattisgarhiya” alone has cumulative viewership exceeding 250 million.
“The village has got a new identity because of the YouTubers. The attention it receives is amazing,” Yadav said. “It’s not the village but the culture and local ways of life too that are getting worldwide attention due to these YouTubers.”
Rahul Verma, another Tulsi village content creator, has focused on short comedic stories in his “Fun Tapri” channel. It has so far reached 3,000 subscribers, but he plans to expand production and find his niche in longer films.
“I am a commerce graduate. Filmmaking was not my area of study. But I got inspired by the success of YouTube channels from my village and started this venture,” he said.
“In Tulsi village, the whole atmosphere is creative. Not only the individuals who make films who are involved, but even the villagers too. This is unique and that makes this village different.”
