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Why Everyone Knows Urofi, Ankur Warikoo, Physics Wallah...

By DIVYA NAIR
January 03, 2024 09:43 IST

In the age of the Internet, content is king.

And these social media influencers have cracked the art of creating scroll-worthy content that will keep you hooked onto your digital devices for hours.

Presenting part 2 of our series on the top 25 social media influencers in India (don't forget to check part 1 here).

In random order, please do see:

13. Elvish Yadav
YouTuber
15.6 million Instagram followers
14.8 million YouTube subscribers

IMAGE: Elvish Yadav beams after winning Bigg Boss OTT 2. Photograph: Kind courtesy Elvish Yadav/Instagram

Siddharth aka Elvish Yadav is the perfect person to tell you how to make good money by making fun of people.

This Gurugram boy is living his dream life, collaborating with well-known artistes, brands and reality shows to promote content.

As a wild card contestant, his massive fanbase helped him win the second season of Bigg Boss OTT.

Elvish is currently making an appearance on Colors TV's Temptation Island.

One of the richest influencers in India, he owns two apparel brands -- Systuum Clothing and Elgro Women -- and gives back to society through his NGO, the Elvish Yadav Foundation.


14. Harsh Beniwal
Actor, Viner
15.7 million YouTube subscribers
6.6 million Instagram followers

IMAGE: Comedian, actor and fashion influencer Harsh Beniwal. Photograph: Kind courtesy Harsh Beniwal/Instagram

Much like Bhuvan Bam, Harsh Beniwal started his career making vines and short videos in 2015.

He is known for creating potentially viral spoof videos about films, actors and real-life situations.

He made his acting debut in Student of The Year 2 and is among the most subscribed to content creators in India.

 

15. Uorfi Javed
Actor, Fashion Influencer
4.2 million Instagram followers

IMAGE: Uorfi Javed loves to shock with her fashion choices. Photograph: Kind courtesy Uorfi Javed/Instagram

From doing small roles in telly serials to being one of the most popular celebrities on the red carpet, Uorfi Javed has worked hard to find her niche in the celeb spotlight.

She is often trolled and body-shamed for her minimalist and often outrageous fashion choices. Not only does she take the criticism in her stride, she often serves it right back.

Uorfi's confidence has been lauded by film stars like Kareena Kapoor and Ranveer Singh.

The former Bigg Boss OTT contestant, known for pulling off daring and quirky outfits, is popularly called India's Lady Gaga.

 

16. Ankur Warikoo
Author, Online Educator
3.4 million YouTube subscribers
2.8 million Instagram followers
2.23 million LinkedIn followers

IMAGE: Ankur Warikoo is an author, motivational speaker and LinkedIn influencer. Photograph: Kind courtesy Ankur Warikoo/Twitter

Mumbai-based author, serial entrepreneur, angel investor and educator Ankur Warikoo makes a living by creating content that he believes will help people make the right choices.

The WebVeda founder says he offers courses that will help train young professionals in life skills in management and entrepreneurship.

 

17. Alakh Pandey
Online Educator
11.5 million YouTube subscribers
2.2 million Instagram followers

IMAGE: Alakh Pandey co-founded Physics Wallah to make online education accessible to all. Photograph: Kind courtesy Alakh Pandey/Twitter

Alakh Pandey is the co-founder and CEO of Physics Wallah, an ed-tech platform.

He dropped out of engineering college in his fourth year to teach physics at an institute in Kanpur.

Later, Alakh co-founded Physics Wallah, an online learning platform, with Prateek Maheshwari; their aim was to make education accessible and affordable to all.

His startup entered the unicorn club in 2022.

Alakh's achievements in the field of education have won him several awards including the Teaching Excellence Award from Entrepreneur India in 2023.

 

18. M C Stan
Rap Artiste
10.7 million Instagram followers
9.25 million YouTube subscribers

IMAGE: When M C Stan says 'Kya bolti public?!' he's always greeted with rousing applause from his audience. Photograph: Kind courtesy MC Stan/Instagram

In a field that boasts of artistes like Divine and Emiway Bantai, Pune's M C Stan has found his loyal fan base by claiming to be the voice of the voiceless.

Stan, who started his career by singing qawwalis as a teen, understands the power of Hindi and aptly uses his lyrics to focus on social issues and raise awareness.

His growing fan base and networking skills helped him win the 16th season of the reality show, Bigg Boss.

 

19. Kamiya Jani
Lifestyle Entrepreneur
2.8 million YouTube subscribers
1.4 million Instagram followers

IMAGE: Kamiya Jani interacts with Kareena Kapoor on the sets of the latter's show, What Women Want. Photograph: Kind courtesy Kamiya Jani/Instagram

Kamiya Jani quit her job as a journalist to start a media firm, Curly Tales, in 2016.

The lifestyle entrepreneur interviews celebrities and popular personalities while documenting her food and travel experiences across the world.

 

20. Neel Salekar
Film-maker, Video Creator
2.8 million Instagram followers
306K YouTube subscribers

IMAGE: Neel Salekar is your boy-next-door influencer from Thane. Photograph: Kind courtesy Neel Salekar/Instagram

If Neel Salekar had taken the conventional career path, he'd be a film-maker or an actor.

Instead, the J J School of Art alumnus took to social media to showcase his creative side. And that's how the idea for his channel, Just Neel Things, was born.

Influencer nahi, creator, his Instagram bio reminds us.

When Neel is not collaborating with his five friends -- they founded the Ourange Juice Gang -- he keeps his 2 million followers entertained with his comic take on mundane events and people who resonate with the aam aadmi.

Ranveer Singh, Janhvi Kapoor, Aamir Khan and Vijay Deverakonda are just some of the celebs he has collaborated with.

 

21. Ramsha Sultan Khan
Lifestyle Blogger, Motivational Speaker
2.47 million YouTube subscribers
1.1 million Instagram followers

IMAGE: Ramsha Sultan's social feed features lifestyle content and motivational videos. Photograph: Kind courtesy Ramsha Sultan/Instagram

Ramsha Sultan, one of India's first and most popular hijabi influencers, is an engineer, an MBA degree holder and used to be a national level volleyball player.

She was just another beauty vlogger until she began posting Ramzan videos which have resonated with people all over the world.

Today, the Aligarh-born video creator's timeline is a combination of both her interests.

What makes this 28 year old's journey so inspiring is the fact that she also operates a Rs 1 crore (Rs 10 milion) business.

22. Dr Malavika Iyer
Motivational Speaker
51.2K Instagram followers

IMAGE: Dr Malavika Iyer did not let her disability determine her future. Photograph: Kind courtesy Dr Malavika Iyer/Instagram

From seeing her hands destroyed in an unexpected blast to winning the Nari Shakti Puraskar, Dr Malavika Iyer's journey is an inspiring example of how one can successfully overcome life's unexpected challenges.

Today, this inspiring motivational speaker and disability rights activist educates people about inclusivity and the importance of mental health in her corporate training workshops and leadership seminars.

 

23. Sakshi Sindhwani
Model
5 lakh Instagram followers

IMAGE: Sakshi Sindhwani will make you fall in love with your curves. Photograph: Kind courtesy Sakshi Sindhwani/Instagram

Smasher of stereotypes Sakshi Sindhwani is a model and fashion influencer who talks about body positivity through her social media feeds.

The 27 year old collaborates with brands, designers and artistes to promote plus-sized clothing and lifestyle accessories.

Her bindaas style has earned her followers like Karan Johar and Producer Rhea Kapoor.

 

24. Dr Trinetra Haldar
Actor, Influencer
3 lakh Instagram followers

IMAGE: Dr Trinetra oozes confidence as she embraces her gender and sexuality. Photograph: Kind courtesy Trinetra Haldar/Instagram

'Artist, doctor, trans auratvagairah...'

A doctor by education, Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju aka Trin Trin is perfectly fine with any of the above descriptions because she is all of them.

Trin, who has starred in the second season of the Amazon Prime series Made In Heaven and the documentary, Rainbow Rishta, loves flaunting her saris and lending her voice to the LGBTQIA+ community.

 

25. Imnainla Jamir
Musician
69.2K Instagram followers

IMAGE: Imnainla Jamir's exceptional strumming skill has earned her big brand collaborations and gigs at leading music festivals. Photograph: Kind courtesy Imnainla Jamir/Instagram

Imnainla Jamir, who hails from Mokokchung, Nagaland, was just 17 when she became a music sensation.

In 2022, when the guitarist was invited to perform the National Anthem at the Hornbill Festival, she instantly impressed the audience with her confidence and skill.

You'd be surprised to learn that Imnainla is a self-taught artiste.

DIVYA NAIR / Rediff.com

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