Even Saloni Gaur can't believe it's the end of 2023 already. The comedian, mimicry artist and digital creator is 24, and made it to Forbes India's Top 100 Digital Stars list this year. She hit 5 million followers on YouTube. And, she got married, that one milestone that many fans still refuse to believe. "I didn't post anything about it for the longest time and then I suddenly did. My followers were surprised and are still wondering if this is fake," she says.
Gaur grew up in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, and now lives in Delhi. She shot to fame in 2019 with her character, Nazma Aapi, a middle-class Muslim woman jadedly commenting on the circus of society and life. But she's fast expanded her repertoire to include other stock types: Adarsh Bahu, Pinky Dogra, Doordarshan Didi. She hosted the variety-sketch show Uncommon Sense With Saloni on Sony Liv in 2020. She had a role in the 2022 drama Campus Diaries. She's polished up her impersonations of Kangana Ranaut, Sonam Kapoor, Ananya Panday and others.
It's, by all accounts, a busy life. Yet, she's found time to pay attention to the ups and downs of 2023. Here's how she viewed the year gone by, even as Nazma Aapi slips in every now and then.
King Khan is back on screen.
Like pretty much any living, breathing film buff, Gaur is a Shah Rukh Khan fan. She caught a firstday first-show screening of Pathaan. “His wins feel personal," she says. "Only last night my family and I were watching some film and then we realised we weren't having fun So we ended up watching Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) instead. I have never seen people whistle for any other movie star as much as they do for him. It's fun to watch a film in the theatre only when it's a Shah Rukh Khan film." 25 Jan
India's Oscar moment.
This story is from the December 30, 2023 edition of Brunch.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 30, 2023 edition of Brunch.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Is It Scrolling Or Screening?
Being on the phone while the TV plays is the new normal. Just don't do it when there's company. A case for what it means to be present
This week, we're...
Preferring the spinoff.
The newest tricks in the book
Time is money. Here are the best hacks for saving precious seconds and taking even your everyday feed to the next level
Snuffing out the flames
Has online dating peaked? People are ditching the apps, going old-school, and aiming for IRL connections. Here's how the swipe failed a whole generation
Off the eaten path
In hotels, cafes and home kitchens cooks are getting creative with food waste. Tomato skins show up in a cake, fat flavours broths, peels have fresh appeal. Of course, we're cheering this change
Glamming up your getaway
Every island in the Maldives is stunning. So how do resorts offer a luxury upgrade? At Cheval Blanc it's by elevating every experience-food, service, spa and beyond
Benefits with friends
Of course it's harder to make friends as we grow older. Responsibilities, increase, time is short. Luckily, we have our tribes
A portrait to reflect upon
Playing with lighting and layering, a young Amrita Sher-Gil depicted herself as bold, mischievous, and enigmatic - all at once
Keep your trope shut
A divided world, a post-apocalyptic wasteland, a prophecy, a burden too heavy for a young adult. 10 YA dystopian cliches to vanquish in battle.
Sanjeeda Shaikh
Actor, @IAmSanjeeda
