REELS STARS OF 2022

What Andy Warhol once deemed to be the future' is here, and everyone is indeed famous for 15 minutes. What they do with those 15 minutes, however, decides what happens for the next 15, and possibly much longer. As persistent efforts met opportunity, this new generation of internet celebrities, more prolific and disruptive than ever before, took the internet by a storm

DHRUV SHAH AND SHYAM SHARMA (@funcho)

It’s hard to find fun in the mundaneness of every day, especially in a city as perennially hectic as Mumbai. When creators Dhruv Shah and Shyam Sharma first started their page Funcho in 2017, their sole goal was to represent the metropolis of dreams in a way that wasn’t mainstream yet. What started as a hilarious take on travelling in Mumbai’s famed locals soon expanded to a whole series of sketches centered around the antics (and the unique language) of two young boys trying to navigate the city. Funcho now boasts 2.3 million followers and generates millions of views on practically everything they post.

RUHEE DOSANI (@ruheedosani)

US-based Indian Instagram creator Ruhee Dosani’s appeal has been imminent right from the time her Reels started gaining popularity on the platform. Her innate confidence and love for all things desi (including a few nostalgic gems like the Badshah Masala jingle) have made her a popular sensation, with many relating to her relatable persona. Dosani and her crew, We Desi, are credited with putting India on the global Instagram map. One of the best qualities of Dosani’s content is that it does apt justice to the experience of being ‘desi’. Despite having an extremely diverse audience, Dosani doesn’t shy away from using niche Indian references, including Punjabi and Konkani songs. Dosani’s philosophy of ‘own who you are’ is clearly welcomed by global audiences, given her ever-growing popularity on the platform.

KARAN SONAWANE (@focusedindian)