The rising YouTuber of Bundelkhand

What’s common between poet Tulsidas, dacoit Phoolan Devi and godman Osho? Well, they are well-known Bundelis or people hailing from Bundelkhand. Now Kishan Kushwaha, a YouTuber of Bundelkhand, is laying claim to the list of popular Bundelis.

Bundelkhand – a significant area of political importance and flourishing culture – stretches from Madhya Pradesh to Uttar Pradesh.

Kishan Kushwaha’s incredible rise to fame as a YouTuber of Bundelkhand affirms the notion of ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way’ – especially for the common man of rural India. 

Learning of and from Youtube

Born in the remote village of Kutaura, located 90 kilometres from Chhatarpur city in Madhya Pradesh, life wasn’t easy for Kishan Kushwaha.

“We grow vegetables, which is the livelihood for most people in our community. Childhood made me realise that poverty won’t allow me to have a great future,” said Kushwaha.

School days were the beginning of his fascination with stories. He used to crack jokes and write skits on dowry tradition and freedom struggle. 

When he was 17, he got a mobile phone. 

“It was 2017 when I got my first exposure to YouTube. I felt that I could have an eternal life!” said Kishan Kushwaha, popularly known as Kakku bhaiya. 

Exploring YouTube opened the gates of not only reaching the public but also watching oneself again and again. 

The first Bundeli YouTube channel

“My uncle suggested making a channel. YouTube became a school where I learned to shoot, edit and upload videos,” he said.

Apart from songs, YouTube had no content in Bundeli. A video of Bundeli jokes by Kushwaha went viral instantly, getting him 50k views.

However, the good beginning didn’t last long. 

Also Read: Rural social media stars showcase rustic charm

“2017-18 was tough as our channel got stuck on 5k subscribers. The videos were getting merely 5k views. Villagers started calling me a ‘good for nothing’ guy,” he added.

Finding his place on the platform

Kushwaha enrolled himself in a computer diploma course. His father got him a computer too. Being a topper in mathematics, he started a coaching class in the village. 

But Kushwaha was still keen to make a mark in the YouTube space. He deleted his channel and made a fresh start. Inspired by famous YouTube comedian Bhuvan Bam, Kushwaha started working towards better quality. 

His persistence paid off after he resurrected his channel. He believes it was due to the presence of women folk singers in his videos.

In November 2019 villagers of Kutaura were taken by surprise when Kushwaha, the YouTuber of Bundelkhand, earned a sum of Rs 7,000 through YouTube.

When the channel brings money

“Earning through the internet was unbelievable for everyone. Money started pouring in and I was able to arrange my brother’s marriage,” recalled the 23-year-old.

Today Kishan Kushwaha aka Kakku bhaiya is a professional Youtuber of Bundelkhand earning Rs 30-40,000 per month. Sometimes he is even able to make a whopping sum of Rs 1.5 lakh per month, depending on the content. 

He got his family a house, a car and a motorbike. But to his surprise, his parents still feel that a government job would be better for him.

“They are innocent as they know nothing about the virtual world. It hurts indeed when those closest to you do not understand you,” he lamented.

Desire to make Bundeli films 

Kushwaha always had a penchant for making films. 

“In 2021 we bought an iPhone 11, Canon 200D camera, 50mm lens and a licensed version of Power Director to edit the videos. We were making numerous comedy clips but it wasn’t enough to satiate my hunger,” said Kushwaha. “I wanted to share my views on serious topics.”

After making hundreds of videos Kushwaha wrote ‘Pratha (tradition)’, a short film about the issue of child marriage. He spent Rs 60,000 to produce the film. To his regret, the 45-minute film got only 1.64 lakh views.

“People like comedy, but they are not interested in serious content,” he said.

Kushwaha wants to develop a film industry in Bundelkhand. 

“The dream is to make it to the silver screen one day,” he said.

A rural stand-up comedian

The charisma of starting a YouTube channel became a crazy thing for Bundelkhandi youngsters, giving rise to a lot of new channels. The craziness went too far, when aspiring young YouTubers crossed the line, recording and uploading Kushwaha’s marriage to start their own channel.

“I know that was crazy but it didn’t offend me. Novel things must go on,” said Kushwaha. 

He has also started visiting villages to do stand-up comedy in Bundeli, which is new for everyone.

“The reception is welcoming. We are proud of making content that the entire family can watch. We are still a team of four to five, but soon we’ll expand and explode,” said Kushwaha with confidence. 

The lead image shows Kishan Kushwaha explaining a scene to his cast (Photo by Pranay Tripathi)

Pranay Tripathi is an Indore-based upcoming filmmaker and a Rural Media Fellow 2022 at Youth Hub, Village Square.