1. Bhuvan Bam
- Platform: YouTube
- A journey to Bollywood: Bhuvan Bam, the owner of one of the most viewed YouTube channels titled “BB Ki Vines,” started making comic sketches and different characters that appealed to millions of viewers. His style and relatable humour helped him amass such a huge following in no time. Bhuvan’s entry into Bollywood came with the movie “Plus Minus” in 2018-a short film for which he shared the screen with Divya Dutta, besides winning a Filmfare award. All this transition was marked with his connection to audiences, both online and offline.
2. Prajakta Koli
- Platform: YouTube
- A journey to Bollywood: Prajakta Koli, aka “MostlySane,” gained popularity on YouTube through comical videos where she enacted various characters representing Indian daily life. Her relatable content clicked with the youngsters. Prajakta made her Bollywood debut with the movie “Jug Jug Jiyo” in 2022, which co-starred Varun Dhawan and Kiara Advani. She has done a Netflix series called “Mismatched,” showcasing her acting knack and expanding her reach beyond digital platforms.
3. Kusha Kapila
- Platform: Instagram, YouTube
- A journey to Bollywood: Kusha Kapila gained popularity through funny videos and Instagram characters; most importantly, that of “Billi Maasi.” Since her content was relatable and satirical, it won a lot of hearts. Kusha did her first Bollywood film, “Ghost Stories,” in 2020; later on, she did films like “Plan A Plan B” in 2022. Kusha easily glided into Bollywood since her knack for comedy and acting was well-known.
4. CarryMinati (Ajey Nagar)
- Platform: YouTube
- A journey to Bollywood: Ajey Nagar, famous as CarryMinati, gained popularity through his roast videos and comedy skits on YouTube. He is one of the most influential YouTubers in the country, with several millions of subscribers. In the year 2021, CarryMinati was seen in the movie “Mayday”, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Ajay Devgn. His popularity and a different kind of content creation lured filmmakers to enlist his huge fan base.
5. Lilly Singh
- Platform: YouTube
- A journey to Bollywood: Though originally from Canada, Lilly Singh has quite a number of followers in India, and she is famous as “Superwoman.” Lilly, who entertains people with her skit comedy and motivates them with her motivational videos on YouTube, has often spoken about her love for Bollywood. She did a cameo in “Thank You” (2011) and was a part of some more projects showcasing her acting talent and connecting her to Bollywood lovers.
6. Shirley Setia
- Platform: YouTube
- A journey to Bollywood: Shirley Setia started her career by uploading singing videos on YouTube, which went viral instantly for her melodious voice and charming personality. She gathered a mammoth number of followers and was eventually picked for Bollywood with “Maska” in 2020 on Netflix and made her big-screen debut in “Nikamma” this year, 2022. Shirley’s transition from digital to mainstream cinema has been marked for her musical talent and acting skills.
7. Dhanashree Verma
- Platform: YouTube and Instagram
- A journey to Bollywood: Dhanashree Verma, a choreographer and YouTube influencer, grabbed eyeballs with her dance videos. She did collaborations with many Bollywood stars for dance covers, which got her closer to the film fraternity. Dhanashree featured in a music video alongside Punjabi singer-actor Guru Randhawa, expanding her circle in the Bollywood circuit.
8. Jitendra Kumar
- Platform: YouTube- TVF
- A journey to Bollywood: Jitendra Kumar first emerged in the spotlight with “The Viral Fever” (TVF), playing a wide range of characters in popular web series like “Kota Factory” and “Permanent Roommates.” Being able to hold one’s own on screen with acting acumen and an effortless charm, he soon found himself debuting in Bollywood with “Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan” (2020), where he played the lead opposite Ayushmann Khurrana.
9. Mallika Dua
- Platform: Instagram and YouTube
- A journey to Bollywood:Her hilarious sketches went viral over Instagram and YouTube, where she played different kinds of quirky characters. With her talent in comedy and style, Bollywood filmmakers noticed her and offered films like “Hindi Medium” in 2017 and “Zero” in 2018. Ability to shoot the perfect blend of comedy with acting, generated unique opportunities for her in Bollywood.
10. Sahil Khattar
- Platform: YouTube – Being Indian
- A Journey to Bollywood: Sahil Khattar, more famously known for hosting and doing comedies on the YouTube channel “Being Indian,” won people’s hearts with his wittiness and style. Sahil made his Bollywood debut in the movie “83” in the year 2021, playing the character of Syed Kirmani, a cricketer, and has proven to be an exceptionally talented actor.
11. Srishti Dixit
- Platform: YouTube (BuzzFeed India)
- A journey to Bollywood: Srishti Dixit is a face known by all, thanks to the work she does with BuzzFeed India. Her takes on everyday happenings in life went viral. She used that momentum as a stepping stone to enter Bollywood and has since done several web series, finding her way into movies such as “Guilty” this year. Relatability quotient combined with timing of comedy has helped this girl get through the genres of mainstream cinema.
12. Be YouNick (Nick)
- Platform: Instagram and YouTube
- A journey to Bollywood: Nikunj Lotia, popularly known as Be YouNick, started his career by making funny and relatable videos on social media platforms. His unique comedy and massive following landed him appearances in Bollywood films and web series. His journey depicts how digital creators can bring fresh energy into Bollywood.
13. Dolly Singh
- Platform: Instagram and YouTube
- A journey to Bollywood: Dolly Singh carved a niche for herself on Instagram by doing funny, relatable skits and dramatically exaggerated versions of mundane characters. Then came her acting stint with “Bhaag Beanie Bhaag” in 2020 with Netflix, proving that she was more than just a social media influencer.
14. Viraj Ghelani
- Platform: Instagram and YouTube
- A journey to Bollywood: Viraj Ghelani got famous through comic videos on Instagram and YouTube. His comedic content was well-received by the audience at a younger scale. After his popularity online, he entered Bollywood and received roles in various web series and short films.
15. Saket Gokhale (Wandering Lloyd)
- Platform: Instagram and YouTube
- A journey to Bollywood: Saket Gokhale, also known as Wandering Lloyd, started his career as a travel blogger where he would document his experiences and opinions on social media platforms. His storytelling art and charming persona opened doors for him in Bollywood, which includes web series and films.
16. Anisha Dixit (Rickshawali)
- Platform: YouTube
- A journey to Bollywood: Initially, Anisha Dixit, known as Rickshawali, used to create funny sketches and vlogs on YouTube. Her style was something different, which worked for her and connected her with her viewers. Her rising popularity gave her a doorway to Bollywood through web series and second leads in films.
17. Ashish Chanchlani
- Platform: YouTube
- A journey to Bollywood: With millions of subscribers, Ashish Chanchlani gained fame for doing comic sketches and relatable content on YouTube. While Ashish has not made a full-fledged Bollywood debut yet, the increasing collaborations he is doing with Bollywood stars for promotions may suggest that the transition to films might be soon.
18. Nidhi Singh
- Platform: YouTube (TVF)
- A journey to Bollywood: Nidhi Singh did a popular web series called “Permanent Roommates” as “Tanya” on TVF, which escalated her on-screen presence, ultimately allowing her to be considered for Bollywood projects. Her acting skills opened doors to movies like “Dil Juunglee” in the year 2018 and “Brutal” in the year 2020. That showed her capability to act in movies as well.
19. Ritviz Srivastava
- Platform: Instagram and YouTube
- A journey to Bollywood: Ritviz initially worked as an electronic music producer and rose to fame with his YouTube videos as a musician. His numbers often picked for several Bollywood films, he made a guest appearance in the movie “Gully Boy” (2019), merging his musical skills with acting.
20. Mithila Palkar
- Platform: YouTube
- A journey to Bollywood: Mithila Palkar gained fame with her skits for FilterCopy and her viral “cup song” that she did on YouTube. Her spontaneity and acting skills soon got noticed by Bollywood filmmakers, and then came her debut with “Katti Batti” in 2015, followed by the main lead in the movie “Karwaan” in 2018, featuring Irrfan Khan and Dulquer Salmaan.
These influencers have brought in not only their huge online followings but also a fresh perspective and energy to Bollywood. The following stories depict the changing dynamics of digital and traditional entertainments’ growth together.
