Jumana Shah | Posted by Ganesh Kumar Radha Udayakumar
Ahmedabad, November 3, 2017 | UPDATED 08:41 IST
This video stars a lesser known face, theatre actor Jimit Trivedi, who has a chat in a rustic barber shop with two other young men.
Screengrab from the BJP's new 'I am Vikas' video (Courtesy: BJP/YouTube)When a social media war heats up, it is only on expected lines that the Bharatiya Janta Party and 
Narendra Modi will take the lead.
A social media war started when 'Vikas Gando Thayo chhe' (Vikas has gone crazy) went viral for days. The BJP hit back with its video clips, defending the allegations on Modi and Vikas.
It decided on the words - Hu Chhu Vikas (I am Vikas) meaning, 'this is indeed development and I don't need to be apologetic about it.' One of their key videos starring Gujarati film actor Hitu Kanodia didn't get the expected response.
Congress's campaign on Gabbar Singh Tax followed and the BJP seemed to be trailing.
But two days ago, Modi's B-team of media hit back with a striking high-pitch video. The 3.55-minute video, instead of getting defensive about the allegations, gets on the offensive.
VIDEO GOES VIRAL
This video has achieved what several other videos released by the BJP team couldn't - the video has gone viral and caught the imagination of the voters.
This video stars a lesser known face, theatre actor Jimit Trivedi, who has a chat in a rustic barber shop with two other young men.
In semi-urban and rural areas, before the advent of salons, a barber shop is touted as the hub of such political exchanges.
The video starts with two men discussing that Modi has been a failure as a leader.
Then the main character, a young man, who remains unnamed during the clip, stands up and rips apart the allegations levelled by the two young men.
He lists the initiatives taken by Modi as bold, the kinds that no PM has taken before.
VIDEO MADE BY MODI'S CLOSE ASSOCIATE
At a time when making a video is literally a child's play with a mobile phone, this video, that features a professional actor, has been made by a close associate of Modi.
This associate, who does not wish to be identified, has had a long affiliation with the Modi government in Gujarat, and mastered the art of making high quality videos at short notice.
Actor Jimit Trivedi, on his part, saw his part in the short film as a professional brief and is satisfied with the exposure it has given his fledgling career.
"I am not a BJP member, but a Modi supporter. He is doing good work. He has a vision to solve problems," Trivedi, who is currently doing a play Kishan vs Kanhaiya with BJP MP Paresh Raval, said. While Trivedi has been basking in the attention this little clip has brought him, he says he doesn't have any plans to enter politics.
"I got great response in 24 hours. However, I am not a political person, I don't really know much about the 'Vikas Gando Thayo chhe' campaign. I did not do this film with any plans except doing an actor's job and do it well, Trivedi added.
As the clip went viral, translations in Hindi and English soon followed, which went viral within hours.
WATCH | 'I am Vikas' video (Bharatiya Janata Party/YouTube)