The Tragic Aftermath Of Viral Fame: What Happened To India's Lost Sensations?
They were overnight celebrities, but their fame was fleeting. A new video from Nishu Tiwari uncovers the tragic and often-exploitative aftermath of viral fame in India.
In the fickle and often-cruel world of internet fame, one day you're a viral sensation, and the next, you're a forgotten meme. It's a cycle of boom and bust that has become all too common in the digital age, and a new video from YouTuber Nishu Tiwari is shining a harsh and heartbreaking light on the tragic aftermath of viral fame in India.
In a video titled "I Found the Lost Viral Sensations of India," Tiwari embarks on a journey to find and to interview three of the country's most famous viral stars: Bhuvan Badyakar, the man behind the "Kacha Badam" craze; Ranu Mondal, the railway station singer who became an overnight celebrity; and Sahdev Dirdo, the young boy whose rendition of "Bachpan ka Pyaar" captured the hearts of millions.
What she discovers is a story of exploitation, neglect, and the devastating human cost of fleeting internet fame.
Her first stop is a small village in West Bengal, where she meets Bhuvan Badyakar, the peanut seller whose catchy tune became a global phenomenon. Badyakar, who is now 55 years old, is living in a modest house that was built with the money he earned from his viral fame. But the story is not as happy as it seems.
Badyakar reveals that he was tricked into signing away the copyrights to his song by someone who promised to help him record it professionally. "I went to Bombay," he says. "They gave me ₹60,000-₹70,000 there. The money that comes from the copyright of my song, I haven't received that money yet."
The song that made him a star has now become the reason for his court visits, a bitter and ironic twist in a story that was once so full of hope.
Next, Tiwari travels to Ranaghat, Kolkata, to meet Ranu Mondal, the woman whose soulful voice, captured in a viral video at a railway station, led to a record deal with Himesh Reshammiya and a brief but dazzling brush with fame.
But the Ranu Mondal that Tiwari meets is a shadow of her former self. Her house is a mess, her mind is a jumble of confused and contradictory thoughts, and she is living a life of poverty and neglect.
"The condition of the house is a bit shaky," she tells Tiwari. "You see, all the stuff... salt, flour, everything is spilled. Because I don't have dabbas (containers), you know."
She is mentally unwell, unable to remember things, and her statements are often contradictory. One moment she says she earned a lot of money, and the next, she says she was a victim of fraud.
Her livelihood now depends on the charity of strangers, who bring her food and give her small amounts of money to pay off her debts. It's a tragic and heartbreaking end to a story that once seemed like a real-life fairytale.
Finally, Tiwari meets Sahdev Dirdo, the young boy from Sukma, Chhattisgarh, whose adorable rendition of "Bachpan ka Pyaar" made him an overnight sensation. Sahdev's story is a little more hopeful. He is still recognized, he is still making music, and he is still optimistic about his future.
But his journey has not been without its challenges. He reveals that his former manager left him, that he had a serious accident, and that he has been struggling to make a comeback.
"It's been 3 years now," he says. "After 3 years, projects will come continuously. It will be a comeback. Just like Honey Paji did, I will also have a comeback."
But there are also hints of exploitation in his story. When asked about the money he earned from his collaboration with the rapper Badshah, he says, "Badshah sir gave something. What? I don't know, it was deposited in my father's account."
The video is a powerful and much-needed look at the dark side of viral fame. It's a reminder that for every person who manages to turn their 15 minutes of fame into a sustainable career, there are countless others who are chewed up and spit out by the relentless and unforgiving machine of the internet.
It's a story that should make us all think twice before we share that next viral video, before we turn a real person into a fleeting meme. It's a story that should make us all a little more compassionate, a little more empathetic, and a little more aware of the human cost of our digital obsessions.
What do you think of this powerful video? Do you think we have a responsibility to the people who become viral sensations? Or is this just the price of fame in the digital age? Let us know in the comments below.
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