For this week's Friday Follow, we take a look at how Rohit Sadhwani learned, unlearned, and experimented in his content creation journey.
Being an Indian is about growing up with a small dream of wanting to be a part of the Bollywood industry in some capacity. We have all dreamt of it but not everyone gets to pursue it or act towards it. There are also others who try their best to look for ways to be connected to the entertainment industry. Indian YouTuber and content creator, Rohit Sadhwani is among those dreamers who found his path and took his chance.
A guy with small ambitions in life, Rohit was never an automobile enthusiast or sports. All he ever loved was making videos and meaningful content. Entertaining his audience is where he always derived satisfaction from. He was always a very camera-friendly person and that proves why his journey in content creation came naturally to him.
Rohit always wished to be a part of Bollywood because of his love for acting. "I was pursuing Bachelor in Mass Media (BMM) with the intention of learning the techniques of the media world. Around 2015, I wanted to start my own brand of content creation, but by then there were other biggies in the industry with massive teams, something that I did not have at that time."
But after stumbling upon a channel on YouTube, he observed that it was something that can be done by a single person. "That’s where I got the inspiration to start off. To be honest, I did have second thoughts, considering that content creation or a content channel wasn’t so popular back then. I was in a dilemma of what my friends and family would say." It was also his friend from London who introduced him to the world of Vine which was the pioneer of the short video format. Rohit recalled how there was a gap in the Indian content industry as not many creators were into creating Vine content. But he decided to leverage this gap and took off on Instagram by making easy consumable content of simply 15 seconds. "Gradually as 2015 passed, I got deeper into the domain of content creation. This then led to finally starting my very own YouTube channel “Rohit Sadhwani'' in 2016."
He began his journey by creating all kinds of content like roast videos, meme reviews, comic formatted videos, etc. He was loved by his audience and continued to do that until he observed that there was a monotony in the content created. That affected the popularity of his channel. "That’s when the thought of experimenting with content ideas came to my mind. To be honest, this was a dangling thought in my head for a really long time. Now was the opportunity for me to manifest it! I started making videos that in actuality do not even have a legit category today. But what’s in the name, right?"
He realized that it’s all about having a gala time while doing what you love. He found experimenting with his content exciting and thrilling. "There are plenty of short-video platforms, but the videos we put up on YouTube actually get a lot of love and likes. That’s the kind of audience presence on YouTube. Why pay up and watch content when you can stream much more exciting and long-format content on YouTube?"
Among all the videos that you have put out, which is your favorite?
So since I changed the content, I like all the videos. However, my personal favorite is the one with 0 rupees as I said that I was out for 24 hours without any money, cleaned the glass, cleaned the vessels/utensils, and Buttoning the jeans did all these things. And my second personal favorite is "Giving 40,000 rupees to random strangers". So we gave 40,000 rupees gifts to random strangers on Diwali, so that one is in my heart. The very last video I uploaded is also very close to my heart - "Doing Everything Parents Deny". We did everything that our parents denied us since childhood.
Since you started creating videos, what according to you are the best and worst parts of content creation?
Well, everything about content creation is best. You get to learn many things. We learn something new while creating every video. The best part is we learn and evolve from our mistakes. Constant learning and the opportunity to create new content is the best part. Talking about the worst, it has to be the algorithm and notification issues that happen sometimes. It is heartbreaking at times that it may not reach certain people.
Who do you look up to find inspiration?
I am inspired by many people. Like my Dad and Uncle who supported me immensely, even before I started my channel. My best friend Bhavesh and other friends motivated me to follow my passion/dream, I am grateful to them. Then of course YouTubers like - Ashish Chanchlani, Kunal Chhabria, and Mr. Beast.
A quote that always motivates you?
I don’t usually read quotes, but whenever I am demotivated, I remind myself of dialogue from the movie - Maajhi - “Jab tak todenge nahi, tab tak chhodenge nahi”. This still gives me goosebumps. If a man can break a mountain, then I can surely overcome any obstacles and do whatever I want to do.
Have you received any DMs from your followers that stayed with you?
I am quite fortunate to have my supporters regularly messaging me. Random messages like "How are you doing? Is everything fine? Hope you are eating on time?" etc, are very close to me. I haven’t even met them, yet they drop such random and caring messages. I am glad I have them.
If you had to describe your hopes for 2022?
I am only hoping to create different, unique, and exciting content. I want to create content that hasn’t been tried or done yet. I want my audiences to keep waiting for my content. “Arey! isne wapas kya kar diya yaar!” “Oho isne yeh kiya” I am striving to get such comments from my audience. Numbers do not matter. My only objective is to create clutter-breaking content and keep my audiences engaged.
If you're looking to have a gala time yourself, then do check out Rohit's channel.