Actor Nani defends Dasara portrayal of Telangana people
Telugu actor Nani, who is promoting his upcoming film, 'HIT 3', recently opened up about Telangana representation in Telugu films. In an exclusive chat with India Today, he responded to the criticism of how Telangana people are stereotyped as alcoholics and rugged people in movies, including one of his projects, 'Dasara'. Nani promised that his upcoming film, 'The Paradise', which is also set in Telangana, will be different.advertisementWhen asked about the criticism 'Dasara' faced, Nani defended the film and its set up. He also assured that 'The Paradise' will have a different set-up.The 'Hi Nanna' actor said, "'The Paradise' is going to be very different. No, firstly, 'Dasara' is a Godaringini setup, and it's about people who work in gold mines. Everybody knows that after working so hard in the gold mines in the scorching sun, the only way to get that relief that evening is to have that alcohol and eat and sleep. Everybody knows it's not stereotypical or whatever. How can you base the story in Godaringini and not have all those things? There will be people sitting in Hyderabad and saying you don't have to shoot like this. The director [Srikanth Odela] is from Godaringini. He understands the place a lot better." advertisement
He further added, "I am not saying everyone in Godaringini will drink, but that's the world, that's the setup, that's the story idea. Obviously, he has to show it in a certain way and 'The Paradise' has its own thing. 'Paradise' is 'Paradise'. It's Hyderabad right? So. it's a different thing altogether and whatever is right for 'The Paradise', we will do that. And now we are in a generation where, no matter what you do, there will always be someone who will say something about you. Even if 'Sagara Sangamam' released today, we will find someone having a major issue with it. So what is more important is that we do our best and 'The Paradise' will be amazing. It will be a great experience in the theatre and once you see the film you will understand."'The Paradise' is currently in production.
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Santosh Jadhav, a farmer from Karve village in Maharashtra, for instance. Known online as @indianfarmer, he has uploaded 5,000+ videos since 2018 as part of his mission to make farming a 'respectable business'. 'I realised kheti [farming] isn't seen as a business. Paisa milta nahin. Shaadi hogi nahin. Market haath mein hai nahin (You won't earn money, won't find a girl to marry and the market is not in your hands). Climate is an issue,' he says. 'Let's change that image. Let's make videos that educate and benefit others.' He and co-founder Akash Jadhav are leading the change. It has got them 4.94 million subscribers on YouTube, a production team in Pune and an annual turnover of Rs 1.5 crore in ad revenue and brand deals. Despite his success, Santosh still works in the fields, growing sugarcane, capsicum, cucumbers and more. 'Our vision is to encourage sustainable and profitable residue-free farming,' he says. 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It's why they are choosing creators over the pricey, even fussy, Bollywood and sports celebs for quicker, targeted Covid pandemic deepened the trend, opening up a wealth of opportunities for creators, primary among them a captive audience seeking to escape the dystopia outside. With access to celebrities restricted, brands increasingly turned to creators who not only acted, directed and distributed their content, but also had an active online presence and highly engaged marketing is not just empowering creators but also translating into money. The Goat India Influencer Marketing Report, 2025, valued the industry at Rs 3,600 crore in 2024, projected a growth of 25 per cent in 2025. 'The new marketing model has evolved from just building brand salience to capturing attention and driving engagement. Influencers have been central to this shift by creating authentic, relatable relationships with their followers,' says Pratik Ved, vice president—skin care, Hindustan Unilever Limited. HUL has collaborated with digital creators like Ankush Bahuguna and Komal Pandey for campaigns across brands such as Dove, Simple, Ponds and Vaseline. 'It's no longer just about follower count,' Ved adds. 'We look for influencers whose values align with the brand, who speak authentically, and who have a meaningful connection with their audience.'According to industry insiders, a beauty, fashion and lifestyle creator with a million followers and engagement of 50,000-700,000 views can earn Rs 5-10 lakh for a reel and Rs 2-3 lakh for an Insta story. Meanwhile, a popular entertainment creator with the same reach can earn Rs 80 lakh-1.5 crore a year. Instagram also has 'Born on Instagram', which connects brands to creators, and a Creator Marketplace to further strengthen the partnership. Among its benefeciaries is Pune's Madhura Bachal (@madhurarecipe Marathi), 45, who best demonstrates the entrepreneurial streak of India's creators. One of the earliest to join YouTube back in 2008 with the goal of putting Maharashtrian cuisine on the world map, the former banker began by shooting videos when her baby was asleep. In 2016, she realised she would gain subscribers far more quickly if she went local, and so started another channel in Marathi. Today, apart from running three channels and writing 12 books, Madhura has her own line of spices and kitchen appliances, which she retails online. 'I am making more as a content creator than I did as a banker,' she says, revealing how she makes a six to seven-figure sum monthly from brand collaborations and content monetisation. It is a matter of intense pride and joy when she sees popular food creators like chef Ranveer Brar, YourFoodLab and Kabita's Kitchen post Maharashtrian everyone is in it for the money, though. For 'changemaker' influencers, it's about doing the right thing. Take environmentalist Malhar Kalambe, for instance, who organises beach clean-ups. 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Rupali Singh (@sad_rupaa) from West Medinipur in Bengal is happiest when she is creating Insta reels and YT shorts dancing to Hindi songs—her 'Tauba Tauba' jig with her two sons notched up 88.2 million plus Bhabda's mimicry skills are so impressive that L'Oreal placed her with its brand ambassador Alia Bhatt on a couch and had her imitating the actress pitch-perfectly, to much laughter. 'Once I have cracked the voice and the character, I just start rolling,' says the 25-year-old, whose love for impersonations dates back to when she'd mimic her teachers at school. From living in rented accommodations for 18 years, Chandni's work on social media today has earned her enough money to buy her own pad in Mumbai suburb Andheri. Says Chandni, 'I want to feel something and then make it. I want to tell stories. Brands love me for that. 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'The best creators even today and 10-15 years from now will be those who take their authentic selves and turn the volume up, not those following trends,' he Intelligence will change the game even further, aiding the quick delivery of content. Tamil YouTuber Madan Gowri relies on tools like ChatGPT, Google's Gemini and DeepSeek for everything from research and scripting to editing and culling data on the issues that would drive audience engagement. 'It has helped me increase viewership,' he says. 'All we have to do is find the right prompt and curate our content accordingly.'THE ROAD AHEADA growing economy likely calls for greater supervision. Given the influence creators now wield on consumer spend, there's talk of the harm they can wreak on vulnerable audiences, especially children and young adults. 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That formula—a short, funny rhyme (chhora) at the outset, related to the recipe of the day, cooked in a rustic oven—struck a first viral hit came with a demo for simuyier payesh (vermicelli pudding). One day, Suprabha asked her to taste the food on camera and react. 'Daarun!' (wonderful), she smiled—a word that is their signature now. The dream now? To open a caf—perhaps in Kolkata, but more likely in Digha, Usha's windy hometown by the sea.—Arkamoy Datta MajumdarFood Pharmer | Food Inspector General (Photo: Debajyoti Chakraborty) Revant Himantsingka is an anomaly among creators. Best known as the nutrition influencer who pulled up Bournvita for its high sugar content in his very first video, prompting a legal notice; compelled Lay's to switch from palm to sunflower oil in India; and started the campaign 'Label Padhega India', Revant is better known as a 'de-influencer'— someone who criticises brands for falling short on delivering the healthy food they ardently promise. 'The first year, I didn't make any money,' says Revant, who put in his savings from a job in the US into his creative foray. 'I have one policy—don't do any food brand deals. I have been offered insane amounts....' These days, financial services firm Zerodha is sponsoring the production cost of his latest podcast, The Simple Health Series. Happily, a plywood brand has also approached him because he stands for 'trust and credibility'.—Suhani SinghAadi | The romance of youth (Photo: Mandar Deodhar; Location courtesy: Contrast Studios Mumbai) Amazingly, Aadi tya Shukla doesn't have a But naturally, the teen who has over a million people hooked to his reels knows how to make optimum use of those belonging to h is mother and e lder brother Akash. Aadi, as he is known in creatorsphere, has used the device to document his life—preparing for the CBSE boards, hanging out with his friends—that offers a peek into the minds of Generation Alpha. No concerns about his screen time have been raised, for he ain't a bad student. He recently scored 88 per cent in Class 10.'If I had been doing badly in academics, teachers would have objected,' says Aadi. 'I'm proof that even while creating content you can study and do other activities.' It helps that his content is squeaky clean and his demeanour one of disarming teenage amiability. Shukla's creativity on Instagram has resulted in him scoring collab deals (SaReGa-Ma and Domino's, to name just two) and a DM (direct message) from casting director Shanoo Sharma's office, which resulted in a part in the Netflix series The Railway Men. 'I had no idea one can make money from it,' says Shukla, whose first sponsor deal earned him Rs 2,000. That's when he had 10,000 followers. Simple school math suggests a far, far meatier pie now.—Suhani SinghKL Bro Bijurithvik | Working-class hero (Photo: Badusha P.T.) Biju has seen life from the hard angles—as a labourer at a quarry, as a helper in a lorry and, later, as a mini truck and jeep driver. Rendered jobless during the pandemic and stranded at home, he decided, on a whim, to shoot videos on a Samsung phone bought with money a friend gave first YouTube video, uploaded in 2021, was about a young man's hunt for a bride in neighbouring state Karnataka. That video became a viral hit. He has not looked back since. His videos, in which only Malayalam is spoken, are centred around simple, workaday domestic acti vities or, say, a short trip, that features his family—wife Kavitha (28), mother Working-Class Hero Karthyayani (68), children Rithvik (8) and Rishvik (3 months), and his niece Anu Lakshmi (14). For Biju, an idle pursuit has led to fame and a livelihood; indeed, his days now revolve around chronicling his family does not reveal numbers, but says he earns 'enough' to support his family as a content creator. Says Biju, 'I do not know who invented YouTube and other platforms, but they are a blessing for people like me.'—M.G. ArunMG Squad | As he likes it Madan Gowri's success proves that far beyond the crowded fields, there are millions of takers for content ranging from physics to politics. And that most prefer it in the vernacular. What started out as an English YouTube channel in 2017 has morphed into a wildly popular Tamil one. Well-researched and pared down without sacrificing complexity, Gowri's entries both slake and spur the thirst for knowledge. However, 'you can't just talk about random things,' he says. 'I focus on what people want to know, like issues in mainstream media.''Earlier, when you said you are a YouTuber, people thought it was a serious profession,' he says. 'But are like 'even my kid is a YouTuber'. The competition is way higher.' Proudly prolific, he has put up one video a day for the past 6-7 years. Courtesy his revenues from YouTube, Gowri has 40-50 people on his payroll and runs a digital marketing veteran creator Bhuvan Bam aka BB Ki Vines, Gowri is foraying into films, but says he will never forsake the badge of a content creator. 'I'm getting this opportunity as I am who I am in content. The day I stop doing this, I won't have value.'Subscribe to India Today MagazineMust Watch
