How digital content creator Saloni Gaur is winning hearts

From a demure sanskari bahu to a straight-talking middle-aged woman, 21-year-old Saloni Gaur has created some of the most entertaining characters in the Indian digital comedy space. Her content, which consists of short and long-form satirical videos and impressions of popular celebrities, are making Saloni a household name in the country.

So, why did Saloni choose comedy, a relatively tough genre to crack in India, instead of say, fashion or beauty that garner millions of views?

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In her trademark sweet but no-nonsense style, Saloni quips that she doesn’t know anything about fashion, which is why she picked comedy. “I mean I know how to pair jeans with a t-shirt but nothing more than that,” she says.

Back in school, Saloni says, she was the person who always used to make her friends laugh, which led to her exploring comedy as a genre.

Eventually, Saloni started mimicking people, especially Bollywood actors such as Kangana Ranaut and Sonam Kapoor. She started with creating Instagram videos and one of her videos went viral, giving birth to her career as a comic artist and an influencer.

While describing the process of content creation, Saloni says that the flow of content or the schedule entirely depends upon popular demand as well as her personal preference. She plays different characters on-screen – popular of which is a middle-aged woman named Nazma Aapi.

She reveals that the Instagram reels are based on trends while IGTV videos are made after a lot of homework.

While Saloni has a team, she doesn’t have a creative team, meaning that she manages her scripts on her own and ideates her content.

In the future, she plans to build a team to create content for when she’s busy. “In comedy, when you jam with other people, that’s when you crack some good jokes,” says Saloni.

Currently, it is just her brother who listens to her jokes and helps her edit but she would want to include other people as well so that they can bring in some fresh perspectives to the table.

Saloni says that the monetisation aspect of her content has been running relatively smoothly. However, the influx of new creators has changed the influencer ecosystem.

“But there are so many of us now,” she says while pointing out the fact that being an influencer requires more than just pure talent. Consistency, she believes, is an important factor when it comes to building long-term success in the online world.

Brands tend to look into a lot of things such as reach, creativity, the connection between the audience and the creator. “You get to know the response of the audience as soon as you post something so I think if that’s happening, you’ll get business,” says Saloni.

Comedy and mimicry often invite a lot of criticism. So, how does Saloni deal with negative feedback?

Saloni says that comments on her work doesn’t deter her. “I’m one of those people who laugh reading them,” she adds.

Going forward, Saloni says that she would want to focus heavily on long-form content. Additionally, she would also like to focus on her YouTube channel as in her opinion, the YouTube community has its own unique charm. Partnerships or collaborations with other creators is also something that Saloni would want to look into.

In the rapid-fire round of the interview with Influencers Inc, Saloni talks about her love for standup comedy, Srishti Dixit’s content and more.