‘Macha, it’s all overwhelming!’

In a candid chat, Niharika NM speaks to 'Hyderabad Today' about becoming an overnight Instagram star with over 1.4 million followers

If Instagram is your thing, then you would have definitely come across Niharika NM’s videos. How many times have your friends shared one of her funny videos in their Instagram Stories or tagged you in a relatable video with several laughing emojis? “Hello, don’t be a waste fellow.” “Yedava moham vesukoni…” “Macha.”

Did you just read these in her voice? Welcome to Niharika’s fan club. From creating videos on random Indian uncles, strict Indian parents and teachers to road rage in our country, her videos will make you roll on the floor and laugh.

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Niharika grew up being exposed to most South Indian cultures because her family is from all over the South, which is why she can speak most South Indian languages fluently. She also grew up watching a lot of Telugu and Tamil movies and they played a huge role in the type of humour she gravitates towards. “My grandparents used to live in Hyderabad so I’ve spent most of my summers as a kid at their little farm house. However, the strongest connection I have to Hyderabad is my love for the biryani you get there,” she shares.

Niharika, who is an MBA student at Chapman University, California, recently hit 1.4 million followers on Instagram. “It has all been so overwhelming and dramatic at the same time. I wake up every day feeling extremely grateful and sometimes even cry over the amazing messages my audience send to me. It naturally does get overwhelming at times and I don’t think I’ve fully processed everything yet, but the incredible amount of love and warmth I receive makes it all worth it,” shares the 23-year-old star.

Her videos have gone so viral that even the likes of Rakul Preet Singh and Regina Cassandra have started following her on Instagram. She even did a video with Bhumi Pednekar about the latter’s movie Durgamati. Prior to making Instagram Reels, Niharika was active on YouTube. “I just want to revive my YouTube game along with what I’m already doing on Instagram. I’m also looking forward to dabbling in vlog style content to see what I can do with that as well. But as of now, in this moment, I’m just trying to take it one day at a time and enjoying what I’m doing,” she says.

For her undergrad, Niharika pursued Computer Science Engineering in Bengaluru. She says she’s just trying to balance academics and content creation to the best of her ability at the moment. But how does she come up with such innovative content? She answers, “I usually get most, if not all, of my ideas when I’m interacting with my friends and family. In fact, I’m pretty sure that 95 per cent of the videos I make and the characters I play are definitely based on somebody I know. So, whenever I’m in a situation that’s fairly comical, I make a mental note to put that in my notes in order to revisit the idea at a later time and see what I can do with it. I’m definitely not the only funny one. Most of my friends and family are extremely animated and a riot to be around, and that’s definitely where I get it from.”

So how did her friends and family react to her becoming viral? “I guess none of us really saw it coming, but they’re obviously extremely happy and excited about it because they want nothing but the best for me. I just really hope that I can keep doing what I do and make them proud,” says Niharika, adding that she spends anything from an hour to five hours every day creating a video.

Favourite Four

Actor: Mahesh Babu, Allu Arjun, Robert Downey Jr. and Jim Carrey

Movie: White Chicks and Iron Man

TV show: New Girl

Book: Pet Sematary by Stephen King

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