Youtuber Harsh Beniwal, who has recently done Who’s Your Daddy, to be aired on ZEE5 and ALTBalaji, speaks with SHALINI SAKSENA about his latest project, experience of doing a film and challenges faced

How did your journey in the entertainment industry begin?

I had not planned how to go about it but it all began back in 2015. I always wanted to entertain. When I was in school, college and with family and friends I would always crack jokes and became the centre of attention. I started making videos and make a second vine ad put it on my page which got replies from friends. But then slowly people started commenting. People shared memes on Instagram which I used to put. By 2016, I had a million followers on Insta. Then there was a boom in Internet and today I have more than eight million subscribers on my YouTube channel.

Was it tough to get noticed on YouTube?

Initially, I was under the impression that there was no point in putting video here. I had Insta fans but the people on this platform are different from YouTubers who have far more patience. But I asked my team member to start putting videos on the YouTube. A friend told me that the channel was doing well. I started putting longer videos here. I can’t say it was easy, nor can I say that it was tough. All I can say is that I had loads of fun. It was slow process to garner that kind of attention.

How was the experience of doing the movies?

Student of the Year (SOTY) 2 was amazing. I had never such a huge crew. I never knew how things worked. What different things were for? I didn’t know what assistant director did. The movie has taught me so many things that I use on my channel. Take spot dadas. I had heard of them but never realised what their work was. Tiger bhai (Shroff) was standing next me so I thought the man holding the umbrella was for him. But then he moved away but this man continued to hold the umbrella over my head. It was then I realised he was doing it for me. It felt so amazing. I got to learn so much including how to face the camera from Tiger Shroff.

Tell us about your latest project — Who’s Your Daddy?

It is a web series. It is an amazing story set in Delhi. It is about relationships. First, when I was a kid and my relationship with my father and then with my son. Second, my relationship with my grandmother. Third, my relationship with my friends. Then there is a love angle and my relationship with her. When I read the script, I loved it and laughed a lot. It has been written so well.

What made you say yes to it?

I am very particular when it comes to content. Even when I create content I don’t go ahead unless I am convinced with it. When I was offered the role, I took it up on just listening to the narration. It was much later that I read the screenplay. People know I do comedy, here I have gone a step ahead. People will see me romancing, crying and even getting angry. I wanted to show my fans different facets of myself.

You have around 8 million subscribers. What makes your fans come to your channel?

I do my best to try and give as much time to them as possible. I reply to their comments. But I rarely have time for my family so it is not always possible to be constantly in touch with them. However, I try to do as much as I can and meet them in person and talk to them.

What are the challenges to ensure you stay where you are?

It was not as if I have had to face many. I just love doing what I am doing. When I was doing the web series I have had to shoot round the clock and loved every moment of it. I never feel that my professional life has put up any roadblocks till now and hopefully it will be so in the future as well. Yes, schooling was a challenge.