Odia Content Creators Redefine Comedy
The thought that the youth is just wasting time on social media’ has become a convention of the past. What started as a medium to just make new friends or share pictures of family and friends or reconnect with an old friend, has evolved tremendously over time. Since the past few years, social media sites like YouTube, Facebook and Instagram have become a significant fount of revenue, not just for individuals but for businesses as well— big or small.
A strong profile on social media even serves as a portfolio for companies in various fields. While there is a plethora of subjects that people create content about, the short comic video format has seen a significant rise in popularity in recent times. These new-age creators have changed the definition of comedy for Indians.
Bollywood, since the days Govinda has set a traditional format for what passed as comedy, which was more often than not, regressive in one way or another. The art of legends like Mehmood seems to have been lost. In today’s times, when shows with the same old sexist husband-tired-of-wife jokes have kept a large audience hooked to television, these contemporary creators have been a breath of fresh air.
With content that is trending, has pop culture references or is informative, these creators have carved a niche for themselves in the young Indian demographic. Although the market is relatively stronger in other states of the country, Odisha is leaving no stones unturned to match up with the pace. For creators outside our state, content creation has already become a major source of income but Odisha is yet to award that to our up and coming Odia creators. It is imperative that their efforts are acknowledged.
My City Links reached out to some of the most prominent names in today’s Odia comic content creation scene to understand what it’s been like for them.
Dr. Saumitree Prasad Nayak (IG: @sarcastic_saumitree; YT: The Sarcastic Saumitree)
Sarcastic_saumitree is one of the oldest pages which started experimenting a new format of comedy in an untapped market. Starting with pop culture memes in the Odia language and in relevance with the Odia audience, they have now started creating reels on Instagram and funny Odia movie reviews on YouTube.
Talking about how he got introduced to the world of jokes and comedy, Saumitree said, “As a child, reading jokes in the newspapers made me want to write jokes. I started with posting jokes and memes on my personal page. In 2016, I finally decided to create a separate page. I hardly knew what memes were back then and used to just post jokes. In 2018, during the cyclone ‘Titli,’ one of my memes went viral and my journey truly began from there.”
Being one of the oldest meme pages, sarcastic_saumitree had to wait to gather an audience with a hunger for non-traditional content. “2018-19 was the peak period for Odia memes and for me personally. Memes changed from being ‘5 type kara, magic dekha’ (Press 5 and see the magic) to having actual content. There was a time when I felt that posting regularly was my duty. I felt as if people were waiting for my content,” shared Saumitree
With real life responsibilities meeting him in the eye, Saumitree has been putting out lesser content lately. “In my initial years of MBBS, I started this page to have fun with my kind of content but now, Sarcastic Saumitree has become Dr. Saumitree,” shared the doctor and comic. Irrespective of his busy schedule, he hopes to be able to still put out content for his fans and friends who have supported him throughout and are patiently waiting for another video by him. As he puts it himself, “Profession anya mananka khusi paen, Passion nija khusi paen” which means profession is for other people’s happiness but passion is for one’s own happiness.
Riten Pattnaik (IG: ritenpattnaik_ ; YT: Riten Pattnaik)
Riten Pattnaik shot to fame with his stand-up comedy video titled ‘Kuncham Kuncham’ which talked about bizarre Odia songs and their habit of including words and phrases from other languages in the lyrics. “All the views on my content are organic,” the comic remarked with laughter. Riten started with creating content on YouTube, and later he moved to Instagram as well. “Instagram is where the youth mostly is and it helps you reach a lot of people,” he shared.
Remembering a funny incident, Riten said, “Once we’d gone trekking in a forest and somebody who didn’t recognise me at first, came up to me and asked me if I am the guy who makes videos on YouTube and I laughed because I wasn’t expecting to be recognized inside a jungle.”
Riten creates content in Odia and also in Sambalpuri dialect. “Initially, I created content in my mother tongue because of language barriers but I eventually realized that the Odia market had been completely ignored. There was hardly any variety in content. I wanted to introduce the audience to more than just Dahibara, Rasagolla, Pakhala content,” shared the comedian.
Reaching people in a fairly new market and making a mark has definitely been tough for Riten and his likes. “It’s a constant fight. Sometimes I am satisfied with the kind of response that I receive but sometimes I am left wanting for more,” he said.
A full-time graphic designer, Riten uses his creative skills in his professional life as well. He incorporates humor wherever possible in his work. Riten is also a member of the group ‘Komedy Countdown’ which organizes live and virtual stand-up comedy shows. Through ‘Komedy Countdown’, Riten hopes to provide a platform to aspiring Odia comics.
Avishek Jagdev (IG: s.w.a.g.b.a.b.u)
Avishek is relatively new to the world of Odia content creators but his videos are gaining a rapid fanbase. “I was confident of my acting skills and well aware of my knowledge of memes. I strongly believe that Instagram is a wonderful platform to showcase one’s skills and talent. Hence, I started creating content. I have seen cringe content gaining rapid reach while skilled ones not receiving the same kind of response. I wanted to change that,” he said about his determination to fight the Instagram algorithm.
Avishek is passionate about being known as an Odia content creator and hopes to put out better content everyday for the Odia audience. Talking about his future plans, Avishek said, “In the future, I dream to create a community of creators and build a space full of talented and skilled people.”
Irrespective of being a member of the core committee of a tech company, Avishek said he loves creating content as much as he loves working for his company, “My sister, colleagues and friends have been a huge support for me in my journey. I believe every person should have a strong portfolio consisting of all their skills.” He urges everyone to be unique, “Positivity plays a huge role in the life of a content creator. The best of ideas come when you have a happy mind. When I get the right appreciation from people, it really motivates me. This has been one of my reasons for not stopping.”
Stallan Nayak (IG: thtodiaguy YT: thatodiaguy)
Although Stallan puts out a variety of content that tickles the funny bone of his audience, he stands out for his adult comedy reels on Instagram. “Growing up, comedy for us used to be clean. I used to think that the audience wasn’t ready for it but once I started putting out videos on those subjects like sex, I realized that the audience does appreciate it. Sex is still a taboo topic here and there aren’t a lot of creators who make videos on the subject,” the comic shared.
Stallan dropped out of college in the third year of engineering to pursue his dream of entering the film industry. He started with making short films in Hindi. “I come from an underprivileged background, most of the ideas that I get for my videos are from my surroundings. When you travel to the office amidst the hullabaloo of public buses, you are bound to find content there,” said Stalin about how he gets his ideas.
Stallan believes that it is important for a creator to go through the day-to-day struggles of ordinary working professionals in order to get ideas for rich content, “Jab tak bus mein dhakke nahi khaaoge, ya kisi ladki se rejection nahi milega, toh content kahan se ayega? (Where would you find content if you aren’t stuck in the jostle of buses or if you don’t face rejection from a woman?)”
Stallan plans on bringing a change in the Odia film Industry by creating contemporary films available to the general mass. “Odia brands don’t have a strong knowledge of what works best for them. They think followers are everything but that isn’t the truth. Good Odia content that is being made today is locked away in paid OTT platforms where the general Odia audience doesn’t reach. Hence, I plan on creating such content for YouTube, for all to access,” he shared his hopes of making good Odia content accessible to all.
“Since I make videos on topics like ‘Starbucks’, I talk in English sometimes as well, my audience thinks I come from a very privileged background. It’s kind of embarrassing when they catch me bargaining for Rs.100 at Market Building,” he laughed.
On being asked if his parents are aware of his content, he joked, “It’d be really awkward if my dad finds out I have said ‘Tanti chipi dia bapa (Choke me, daddy)’ publicly.”
Sarthak Bhardwaj Behera (IG: be_sarthak)
Hailing from a theatre background, Sarthak started creating content on Instagram during the lockdown. “When I first started sharing my content on Instagram, I didn’t even know it was called content creation,” he said.
Sarthak is a man of many talents. He is a writer, and a poet and also likes to sing. He said, “I am a performer. Now people know me as a content creator, but for me, it has always been about performing, mainly acting.” Sathak, through his content, wants to leave an impression not just on Odias but on people belonging to other states as well.
“There are stereotypes of people from all other states that the entire country is aware of, like there is vada pav for Maharashtra, but not a lot of people know what to stereotype Odias with. I want to take Odisha and its culture as well as its stereotypes to a pan-Indian base,” he said about his goal.
In addition to making content in Odia, Sarthak also makes content in Hindi. However, the content he makes for Odias in Odisha and outside, gets more reach and engagement. The Odia market, in terms of content creators and the audience for it, is relatively unexplored. There is less competition here. It is undeniable that garnering the desired response is of utmost importance to a creator but it’s not always the outcome.
“When a video doesn’t receive the desired amount of reach, it’s a little disheartening but I believe that if I keep making content, one day I will be able to receive the kind of response that I expect. The idea is to keep performing,” Sarthak said about the need for perseverance.
Talking about his future plans, Sarthak revealed that he wants to build a team of creators and help the base of content creation grow. “There are multiple problems as to why that process hasn’t started yet, one of them being the fact that there is hardly any return on investment, monetary or otherwise, but I want people to create content in Odia so that we can all collaborate and grow together as an industry. The process might be slow, but we’ll get there,” he shared as he is all set to begin his journey in the Odia television industry.
Subhajit Dash (IG: subhajit_dash)
A full-time IT professional, Subhajit manages both– his profession and his passion by putting in a lot of effort, yet quite effortlessly. In a very short period of time, he has managed to create a fan following that dotes on him. Talking about his inspiration from everyday life, he said, “I try to take advantage of a situation where I am aware there’d be an opportunity to create content. I observe circumstances as I am going through them, my ideas sometimes are pre-planned but the execution is spontaneous.”
Subhajit prefers shooting in real settings as he believes authenticity is really necessary to get the audience to connect with the content. He believes that content, irrespective of which language it is in, touches people when it is rightly executed, “I follow Marathi creators who create videos only in Marathi and yet I understand what it is all about. It is because they choose topics which anybody can relate to. That is the reason that I have learnt so many Marathi jargons. I want that for Odia content as well. I want people all across India to use words like ‘Bobaal’ or ‘Kassaw’ the same way we all use ‘Raapchick’ or ‘Aye Bacchi’.”
As content creation is a fairly new market in Odisha, it isn’t as highly rewarding as it is in other states. It is still viewed as something people do on the side while they’re working in a corporate office. “The market is growing in Odisha, yet, quite slowly. I want to make content creation my primary source of income. It is what makes me happy. I am sure that it’s going to happen one day,” shared Subhajit.
On being asked if older creators with relatively repetitive content but massive following bother him, Subhajit replied, “I don’t think there is anything wrong with repetitive content. My most loved series is ‘Chuda VS Dahibara’. What is important is how you present it. If all there is to say is that dahibara re sauce kahin pakeila, that is too redundant.” With passage of time we’re seeing slow yet detectable change in the quality of Odia content, Subhajit hopes that through his content, he is able to bring a change, in whatever amount possible, in the mindset of the general mass.”
What Bollywood might have started, Ollywood continued. With movies that made sexual assault comical, there were songs that normalised objectification of women. That has been considered entertainment for decades now but these new age creators have the potential and the hunger to change that. Entertainment doesn’t have to be crass or vulgar, it could simply be found in a conversation with your father or in your khatti on a Sunday evening. These avant-garde creators might be different in their styles and methods but are all united by one aim– to help Odisha, its culture and its content to obtain the recognition it truly deserves.
