This Is How Bhuvan Bam Became Successful And Famous

Bhuvan Bam was a regular college student a few years ago, with a night job as a singer at a Delhi Mughlai restaurant. By pure hard effort and a dash of luck, he is now one of India’s top YouTube celebrities. In fact, early this year, his interview with actor, director, and internet personality Steven Wolfe, aka Johnny Sins, drew over 17 million views in only five days. So, what got this ‘just another college student’ on the path to becoming a YouTuber and, as a result, an almost-famous YouTuber?

“Before starting my YouTube career, I used to play music at a restaurant. YouTube was never a part of my plan,” admits Bam. “One day, I was checking the video quality on my phone when I saw the news on TV about the floods in India. One reporter asked a lady about how she felt on having lost her son, in the floods. This was, naturally, the wrong question to ask. Miffed, I made a satirical video on it and uploaded it online. That is how I took baby steps into the YouTube world.”

In 2015, he created his own YouTube channel, “BB Ki Vines,” which has over 1.7 billion views and 13 million subscribers. The fact that the channel is about a middle-class guy and the troubles that surround him and his family makes it relevant. “Vines was a famous app in the U.S., back then; I borrowed the name from there but never used the app,” he continues to add.

Titu Mama from Bam’s “BB ki Vines” is a popular character, and Bam has featured numerous B-town celebrities on his channel in a section called Titu Talks, with Shah Rukh Khan’s interview garnering over 17 million views.

When you ask Bam how he manages to develop such amusing fictitious characters so effortlessly, he says, “The characters are pure observations. I spend a considerable amount of time thinking about them and their way of talking/acting.”

School diaries

While at school, though, becoming a YouTube sensation was the furthest thing from Bam’s mind – he had previously expressed an interest in archaeology. So, what caused this seismic shift? “Every child thinks archaeology is about digging up land to find dinosaur remains and gold. I had the same intentions. I chose commerce while at school but didn’t get admission for B.Com in any college, based on my marks. Hence, I decided to pursue History Honours, which I eventually graduated in, from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College.”

Singing versus. a traditional job

Bam had always enjoyed singing and aspired to be a musician after completing class XII, which his parents were skeptical of. “They were not completely fine with the idea of me singing at the restaurant, and put their foot down. Eventually, however, I wore them down with my passion and determination,” he laughs.

Challenges

Today, making a living as a YouTuber is not unheard of, and it is rapidly increasing in popularity. This was not the case in India a few years ago. Bam claims that he never envisaged himself in a YouTube profession. “I had some jokes in mind and I just did it for fun. I never realized when this became a full-time profession. There were not many challenges as I went with the flow, without thinking of failure,” he admits.

Calling all youngsters…

He feels that while grades are essential, one’s mental health and self-confidence are far more vital than any exam one can ever take.“Life is full of tests. These school/college tests shouldn’t bother you much,” he believes. What about a career similar to what he does? “While it is a great platform to showcase your talent, YouTubing is not as easy as it looks. To be successful, remember to ensure your content is what you can relate to, and not what is in trend. Wait for your audience to find you. They are hidden somewhere and waiting for you to reach them. Keep trying!”