Telugu YouTubers innovate to produce zero-budget viral videos

Express News Service

Can you really earn lakhs without investing a rupee, just like the unwelcome online pop-up ads promise? Kiran, Subhani, Laiq and Varun—all in their 20s and living in film-obsessed Andhra Pradesh town of Nellore—have proved that it is possible. Less than three years after bursting on the YouTube scene with a runaway hot spoof video, they have become the poster boys for entertainment ‘jugaad’. Their Telugu cinema fight parodies made with amateur actors but with cutting-edge editing have turned out better than the originals. The ‘funnyboys’ team Nellore Kurallu’s videos are grabbing online attention of Telugu film aficionados. 

It all started when the four boys were inspired to shoot a video and dedicate it to their favourite Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu on his birthday. The word spread and about 40 school-going kids, dropouts and even daily-wagers such as painters and auto drivers wanted a part in it. “We explained that we were doing a fight sequence and the action would be tough, but they were adamant. So you have a professionally made 10-minute sequence with amateur actors, but with top class editing,” says Varun, the art director of the team. 

The video went viral and has garnered over 4.3 million views till now. It is earning them lakhs too. In the video, the Famous Four leap up into the air and land with a thud for effect. How did they manage it without breaking a bone? Director Kiran says they used sand, available abundantly in the town, to cushion the floor. For other sequences, they dug pits in which they placed mattresses and covered it up with grass. “Innovation was our only budget,” adds Varun who is in charge of the sets. 

How do four youngsters from a small town get the money to make videos that duplicate detailed action scenes? Answer: They are passionate innovators. All they use is a RealMe smartphone and free editing software like KineMaster. They choose zero budget sets such as an empty dump yard or an abandoned farm. On rare occasions, they have hired a camera for a few hours but their production cost never exceeds Rs 10,000. So far, they have made 20-odd videos, including some landmark stunt scenes such as the Vetapalem scene from Krack and the Apartment fight scene from Vakeel Saab.

The four spoofers are school friends and live in the same colony. When their careers were not going anywhere, their success with YouTube made them full-time filmmakers. “Cinema is our religion. Whatever we earn is put back into making another episode. The leftover money we spend on ice creams and cakes,” adds Kiran, with a boyish smile. It is passion, not money which is their primary motivation, he adds. Each video has not less than a million views. 

Top Telugu directors such as Anil Ravipudi (Sarileru Neekevvaru) and Sampath Nandi have retweeted their videos which has added to their overall reach. What next? Imitation is the best form of flattery, but the foursome has decided to go original now. An original 10-minute episode is in the works. “If we can shoot so well with a smartphone, we can do wonders with a DSLR. We are looking for producers willing to work with us,” Kiran adds. 

In appreciation of their consistently engaging videos, a Hyderabad-based professional digital media company is promoting their work for free. What has changed now that they are famous? The cheerful answer is, “Our parents don’t nag us to study. They now let us practice our religion—cinema.” God is in the details.