Q. What inspired you to amplify the leads which helped people during the pandemic?
See I have been privileged enough to work from home as in our nation where the population is so high, even social distancing is a privilege because not everyone has the opportunity of working through a camera or a phone, and people do not hate privileged people for being privileged, they hate them for not extending a helping hand in the time of crisis. I actually never planned of doing anything, I just retweeted when a lead came across. I realized that the people who follow me can further spread the message so that someone in need can get the help. I believe that the number of people who follow me is not a number to seek validation for, as an influencer, my job is to influence people for the good and I truly believe that if certain people are following me then I do have the power to use that as a resource.
Q. How much has comedy helped you in the time of distress?
Irrespective of me being a stand-up comedian or content creator, comedy is a coping mechanism for me and my family. We keep joking around. If you laugh in the face of adversity, you get the courage to face it. Last year I lost my uncle, we had to go through a lot to actually meet him during the last few hours of life. As a family we were trying to make each other smile at that time by joking around because if you go into that shell, you will fall apart. That's how important comedy is for me.
Q. How did you convince your parents to be a part of your videos?
My father and mother are inherently sarcastic, they love to roast each other. I have inherited my sense of humor from them. During pandemic we are living together and I keep telling them that there are a lot of things they can do on the internet. I think this started when my mother said something and I asked her to repeat it on camera. It was a very raw video actually but it hit around 3 million views. Now brands are reaching out to me and asking me to make videos with my parents. I never thought Instagram could be a viable career but it is. There is democracy in content, you don't have to be a Khan or Kapoor to get the hits and express yourself.
Q. What made you move from digital marketing towards content creation?
Actually I am not a full time content creator as many believe. I want to be associated with digital strategy and marketing. I want to create strategies for brands, for sports teams. I am pitching myself to sports teams to become their digital strategist. I don't want to become a full time content creator. I really enjoy sitting in those client meetings where you are brainstorming to get ideas and it is something I don't want to quit. Content creation comes naturally to me and I don't want to turn it into a job because if I do, I won't be able to create the content which people actually appreciate.
Q. Any particular reason behind using the username 'awwwnchal?'
A lot of people ask me as to why it is awwwnchal, honestly, I don't even remember when I created it. But what I do remember is that I didn't get a username of my name because my name is so common. I think my parents didn't even spend 10 minutes searching on my name. They went for whatever was working those days. I remember, once a friend of mine messaged "how adorable are you awwwnchal," I think that's how created it.
