Repackaging Mahabharata

HYDERABAD: With over 1.2 million subscribers, Vikram Aditya is a familiar name among Telugu YouTubers. When we visit him, he shows us the Golden YouTube button that he received sometime back from Google after he crossed the one million mark. The curious part of Vikram’s channel is that he has stayed away from the often-trodden paths of Internet content like entertainment or animal videos. He started his journey two years back, and with less than 190 videos, he managed to cross the million mark.

From science facts and social issues to motivational videos, viewers wait eagerly for what Vikram has to share. But among, all his content, the Mahabharata series is the most popular. In an age when there is plenty of shows available online to occupy a slice of the viewers’ mindspace, how does Vikram make his videos stand out? “My Mahabharata series is a hit because of the way I narrate it. The essence of the epic, which was written by Vyasa, remains the same. The characters and stories are same, but I create an environment for the story. You can see the story by listening to me. I use images so that the viewers can visualise the scene. The dialogues in my series are not there in the original one. I get into the mind of the character and imagine what he/she might be thinking. For example, I try to understand how Draupadi might have felt when she was being disrobed, and I try to narrate it. If Karna is sitting silently
watching a scene, I narrate what he might be thinking,” says Vikram.

“I do not believe in God, and that is why, I do not narrate Mahabharata narrating as an epic of Gods. I narrate it like a story from which many life lessons can be learned. I have completed 25 episodes of the Mahabharata and I will make another 25. Each video is 10 minute long. I have started Kurukshetra. Mahabhrata is single story. It consists of many main and substories, and I am sticking to the main storyline,” he adds. Talking about his very first video, Vikram says, “My first video was of 30 interesting facts. I am the first Indian YouTuber who has created a channel for this genre. Then I started with Top 10 lists. I also created many opinion videos on social issues like the farmers’ crisis, dowry system, caste system etc.”

The beginning

When asked about the message he wants to convey through his channel, the ace YouTuber says, “People now are forgetting their roots. I try to remind them about how things evolved and provide sound logic for whatever I say.” Recalling how books taught him to be curious, he says: “I have been a bookworm since my childhood. I was always curious about the world and how things work. In fact, a few of my earliest videos were about mysteries like the Monalisa painting, Bermuda Triangle etc. I started reading up on Chinese, Indian and Greek mythologies and was fascinated by the stories. I realised that there are many similarities among the stories from different countries.” Vikram, however, does not do this full time. He is a manager in a national bank, and manages other interests in his spare time. “I am from East Godavari district. After I completed my B Pharmacy, I realised that the sector does not offer much money. So I then started my coaching centre for pharmacy students. It has seven branches now. However, my father still wanted me to have a government job. So I have joined a national bank now. I have handed over the coaching business to my friend.”

The future

Vikram reveals that he wants to retire at 35, and that is why he is working hard now. He says that he has managed with four hours of sleep for years. “I have started a gaming channel now, called the VA Game World, and I have one lakh subscribers within a month. I play popular games and provide the commentary too, and viewers feel as if they are part of the game. I have a 20-member team. Some of them work full time.” So, does he get his share of Internet trolls? “I do get some hate comments, and I ignore them. People who post hate comments just do it for the sake of it. If they have any alternative point of view to present, they would have made their own videos,” says Vikram.