The last time we checked, Ajey Nagar, aka CarryMinati had 27.3 million subscribers on his channel, making him numero uno among Indian YouTubers. This doesn’t come as a surprise – considering the guy has been at the forefront of content-creation all these years and his Hindi language commentary coupled with relatable content is what his millions of fans have come to love him for. Honoured by 
Time Magazine as the ‘Next Generation Leader’ in 2019, Carry, as he is fondly known as, believes he was destined for this. In a conversation with TMM, our cover star reveals that he has lots of new ideas in the pipeline. And all we can say is, ‘Carry on, CarryMinati!
How did Ajey Nagar become CarryMinati?
CarryMinati was around 10 years old when He discovered YouTube and He was instantly drawn towards the potentiality of it. He thought about pursuing it as a full-fledged career when He was 13. It was a very intuitive calling for me. It honestly scares me sometimes when I look back and see how I dropped out to pursue the digital medium that wasn’t as evolved as it is today. I did miss the regular college life and hanging out with friends on campus but this is all compensated by the love and support earned by me over the years. My parents were a massive pillar of support when I started out but there was discipline inculcated. They made me promise that I would complete my education via distance learning. There is no such story behind the name, I just liked it so kept it.
You have been making content even before you started your YouTube channel CarryMinati in 2014. Not many people were into content creation back then. How did you get started?
It was all very organic and let’s just say, I was a curious kid. I remember initially, I used to record myself doing all these crazy football tactics so that I could replay it a million times and learn from my slipups to ace the sport. Little did I know at that time, I’d be doing content creation for a living.
You were named the ‘Next Generation Leader’ by Time magazine in 2019. Were you surprised by the honour?
I am very grateful to receive that honour. It made me happy to see that I had made an impact outside the homegrown content world. At first, I didn’t comprehend the magnitude and scale of the feature but I realised the value it possessed much later on. It motivated me to invest greater efforts into what I was doing and it felt incredible to be internationally celebrated for expertise that was still in its nascent stages in India.
The video you created about Tik-Tok creators went viral and was later pulled down by YouTube. What was your reaction to the entire incident?
It was due to constant requests from the fans that I decided to make a video on the topic that was quite relevant then. I respect my audience and I try to include their requests from time to time in the content I create. After a lot of ideating, strategizing, and scripting, I made this video YouTube vs Tik-Tok The End. The audience loved it and it blew the roof with nearly 75 million views. It was about to set a global record and out of the blue, it was taken down by YouTube. CarryMinati, My audience, my team, and I were devastated and shocked. I was in a state of total disbelief and all the hypocrisy and hatred drove me into isolation mode. I stayed confined to my room for days and bottled up the angst. When I had fully detached myself from the controversy and moved on, I released ‘Yalgaar’ which broke many global records and the internet! Sometimes the worst 
brings out the best. I guess there’s a lot of inner debate and introspection, sometimes it’s a cathartic experience and sometimes it’s tumultuous.
Among all your videos, which one remains your favourite and what do you like most about it?
I can’t pick a particular video because every video is special but the videos I really enjoyed making were ‘Life of a cringe pop artist’ which nudged me to retract from my comfort zone and surprise my audience and ‘The art of bad words’ which was the first time I actually did some serious reading and did an in-depth study on linguistics and its impact on society.
Music is a big part of your journey. Recently, your song with Salim-Sulaiman ‘Date Kar Le’ where you have rapped and written the lyrics also came out. Tell us how that association happened and how inclined are you towards doing more music-related content?
CarryMinati said It was an honour to work with Salim-Sulaiman sir. I have been an avid fan of theirs since I was a child, so working with them was a walk down memory lane. Salim sir reached out to me and asked if I would be interested to join forces with him. I heard the track and liked the appeal and ethos of the track. I am as passionate about music as I am about gaming. It helps me express myself better since I’m quite the introvert. Music helps me speak my soul language. I am taking my time in harnessing my skills in a more disciplined fashion so that I can drop songs more frequently.
We heard you are making an animation web series. Can you tell us about it?
Currently, we are in the trial and testing phase. We are creating a brief segment to gauge audience feedback and if it’s well-received, then we will pursue it more concretely, and if it’s not, we will learn a lesson or two from the critical response.
Between all the fame, success, money, and recognition, what do you think is your biggest achievement?
Fame, success, and money are all very valuable and take a lot of sweat and toil to be earned and should not be taken for granted but they do not qualify for a good night’s sleep. The biggest achievement for me is to be able to positively impact so many lives and be a source of motivation and entertainment, in good and bad times.
You have been making content for all these years now. Do you think you will ever get tired of it?
There are times when I feel this will be my last video and now, I will do something else but that day never comes. It is that surreal bond that keeps pulling me back into content creation like a magnet. It’s like I was destined for this. I prefer going with the flow rather than being dead serious about life but I do have a mood-board and a vision for myself for the future and I take out time to nourish that vision.
Your advice to upcoming content creators?
My numero uno advice would be to not fall prey to the rat race of likes and followers and be unique in the content you create. Good content is the only way to build an organic and authentic subscriber base. Please don’t allow the concept of followers or likes to influence your commitment to art. Create content because you’re passionate about it and see merit in what you have to offer to the world.
Rapid Fire
Your favourite food: Pizza
Your favourite singer: Anu Malik
A content creator you admire: Nick Robinson
What kind of clothes would we usually find you in: T-shirt & boxers
What do you do to unwind: Play games, listen to music
Your fav travel destination: Amsterdam
What kind of movies do you watch: I am not a movie buff but I like movies that have a very flip ending. I also enjoy movies with dark humour
Your last search on Google: How to make everybody like me
Your strongest critic: Me & my viewers
One thing you hope from 2021: To be able to get out more!
Words : Deepali Singh
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