Shivam Arora talks to us about his content creation journey and what lies ahead in the future for him! You might want to give this one a read!
While we're blessed to have platforms like Instagram and YouTube where we can look at people showcase their talent and take inspiration from them, there are also people who are cracking us up with their content. Whether it's the kind of memes or their opinions on things that are trending, they're doing whatever they're doing so well! Honestly, it's a big deal to engage the audience on a platform where there's so much for them to explore already. For most of us, Instagram is a platform we use to entertain ourselves and it's amazing creators like Shivam Arora who help us get our daily dose of entertainment with their funny reels that they put up!
Recently, Shivam made a Reel on the popular song from the movie 'Pushpa' which was trending on social media and was loved by everyone. It was a spoof on 'Srivalli'. Although he has been in the industry only for the past four years, he has managed to win hearts with 97.9K followers on Instagram in no time. He started off his career as a screenwriter after his post-graduation and then landed a job at a content firm. Most of Shivam's videos and posts are his take on things we do in daily life whether it's about a recipe or an incident from school. And what makes him different is he's able to give us his point of view on these things through comedy, which is so hard to pull off!
In a recent conversation with Shivam, he talks to us about this journey of content creation, his Reels and posts, and what he's looking forward to in 2022.
Here's what he had to share:
How did your journey in content creation begin?
My journey has been anything but planned. Honestly, even though it’s been nearly 4 years since
I made a career switch, it still feels too short a time to call it a ‘journey’. I started off as a
screenwriter after my postgraduation and landed a job with one of the mainstream content
companies. While working and creating some of the viral content and IPs for others, I felt there
was a part of my vision only I understood as a writer. Since I had a theatre background too, I
knew that I had what it took to make that vision come alive in front of the camera too. That’s
where it all started.
What part of content creation do you enjoy the most?
The sheer satisfaction of seeing my vision come alive! My content screams ‘exaggeration’. I like
even the tiniest idea to be presented in a grand and elaborate manner. Even before I start
shooting, I see the final product in my head. What can be done in 3 easy shots, I’ll probably do it
in 15. Not the best strategy always, but hey? We are talking about what I enjoy the most.
When it comes to content creation, how difficult was it for you to establish yourself as a
content creator?
It was a ride filled with ups and downs of course. That’s just how social media works. But
honestly, I think I never really started with an intention to establish myself as a creator. The
approach was always just to create videos I can go back to and laugh at. It still is the same. I
mentally still approach everything the way I used to approach it when I had a mere 500
followers, just with a bigger sense of responsibility, of course. It just makes creation so much
easier and more organic. Moreover, I think the audience took me as a credible creator even
back then, and they still do. In terms of followers, the first 10k was obviously a task though.
Where do you plan on taking content creation in the future?
I’m really ‘will see when it’ll come’ kind of creator. As much as planning is important, I don’t
restrict myself with stringent plans. Roughly if I have to tell, I’d say, l feel the audience really
enjoys my candid self and who I am as a person outside all the wigs and characters. So, long-
form candid content is definitely on the cards in the future.
Are you open to exploring more forms of content creation in the future?
Of course. One cannot survive this space without being open to diversification. It’s a very fickle
industry. Also, at any given moment, I’m habitual of having more IPs and content forms than I
genuinely need. So such explorations are bound to happen. The idea of podcasts sounds
appealing to be and I also tried vlogging during a recent solo trip. I was surprisingly good at it
too! The only problem is that I came back with 3 hours of long footage and the video is on edit
for the last 4 months! But trust me, whenever it comes out in 37357 years, it will be worth the
‘exploration’ I did!
Your Srivalli spoof became an instant hit. How did you think of creating this and what do you have to say about its reach?
Insane! It’s the only word that truly describes how it unfolded. I’ve been fortunate to have had quite a few viral pieces, but the ‘Srivalli’ spoof just went next level. The funny part is that I created it just because I was tired of seeing the original song under EVERY second reel! I was too late to hop on the trend but still wanted to do it somehow. So, I gave it my own spin! The spin somehow managed to garner over 100k views in barely a few hours! Within 2 days the audio was trending with some 100 recreations and a week later Instagram included it in the weekly trend list! It was officially a #SrivalliMemeTrend. The wild ride had just started. Brothers literally started recording their sisters over the spoof just to irritate them. People sent me videos of their society kids singing the version to each other. It was hilarious! The best thing was seeing my own nephew sing it randomly while playing. It was hard to process because it wasn’t a random sound of mine that trended, but my own damn voice everywhere. Now here we are, 1.5 months later, #SrivalliUnromanticVersion still trending and going strong with 17M+ views, 4M+ engagement and 1.4L+ recreations! Just really grateful that it happened.
How important do you think it is to follow trends when it comes to creating content?
Fairly important. The key isn’t if you follow trends or not, it is, ‘HOW’ you follow them. It’s about
standing out in a crowd of lakhs creating videos on the same lyrics, dialogues, and harmonies.
Do you plan on creating more spoofs around the other trends and if you would, which
one would you do?
I did follow up 'Srivalli' with spoof versions of more songs! AP Dhillion: Excuses (Honest
Version), Oo Antava (Bestie Version), and my personal favorite, Raghav: Teri Baaton Mein
(Unromantic Version). With these spoofs being so addictive and fun to create, you’ll definitely
see me creating more of these in near future.
What are you looking forward to in 2022?
With everything around us getting wilder with each passing day, all I truly look forward to is
peace. Be it in exploring things I haven’t, traveling more, or taking leaps of faith I’ve been
holding myself from taking. All of them, one day at a time.
Don't forget to check out his videos on Instagram.
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