The Unstoppable Bhuvan Bam

FROM MUSIC TO COMEDY TO ACTING, THIS INTERNET SENSATION IS ACING IT ALL. WHAT’S THE SECRET?

- Riddhi Chakraborty

TALKING TO BHUVAN BAM is a lot like catching up with an old friend. He smiles a lot, listens with a patient ear and likes to grab every opportunity to taunt playfully. "I loved that pink suit," he says of his wardrobe from the cover shoot, knowing very well I had missed the shoot and hadn’t even seen the photographs yet. He laughs at my FOMO-fuelled frustration, but it’s easy to forgive because he’s just so damn likable.

With over 14 million subscribers on YouTube, the New Delhi-based Internet star has built an empire around video content that spans music, humor, and social commentary—all before turning 25. His channel BBKiVines chronicles the life of an Indian teenager and his typical middle-class family through several quirky characters—all portrayed by Bam. His content revolves mostly around awkward familial situations, friendship, breakups and the like. The humor swings between witty, crass and shock-and-awe, but it works because it is highly relatable. In North India, you’d be hard pressed to find a high school or college student who doesn’t know who he is. Bam’s snack-sized content has also been a favorite of WhatsApp groups or Instagram DMs from the word go. In fact, the first time I discovered him was when a friend sent me a link to one of his videos with the message, “Dude, remember when we did this in college?”