Tamil content creators dominate the ‘YouTube Rewind’ list of top ten regional language creators on the platform for 2019 across the country.
Six of the top ten YouTube Channels are based in Tamil Nadu and range from comedy sketches and food recipes to explainer videos on various topics. However, topping the list with 6.53 million subscribers is Telangana-based Grandpa Kitchen.
With the platform also proving to be a great gateway towards entering the movie industry eventually, more and more youngsters are revelling in their creative domain, coming up with quirky, viral content that strikes a chord with millions. Low budgets? Inexperienced actors? No lighting? Nothing matters for these inspired video creators who have made the best use of their surroundings to come up with enjoyable masterclasses on making relatable content.
Is your favourite YouTuber on the list?
Grandpa Kitchen (6.53 million )
Popular for its ‘Grandpa’ Narayana Reddy, the channel showcased him cooking massive portions of meals such as biriyani, french fries or scrambled eggs, and later serving the food to orphans and other underprivileged in his community. Reddy passed away earlier this year on October 27 at the age of 73, a news that was met with anguish by his fans across the world as well as the YouTube community. However, his family has kept the channel alive in his honour and carry on the legacy of uploading videos of vast dishes and then distributing them to children and the proceeds of their funding to charity as well.
Mic Set (3.86 million)
Second on the list is popular Tamil group Mic Set , who do comedy sketch videos on a range of popular current topics that resonate with the youth in the state such as ‘Before Marriage vs After Marriage’, ‘Co-Education vs Single’, ‘Boys vs Girls’ and so on. Every video title ends with the term ‘Sothanaigal’ and follows a wacky premise with hilarious outcomes.
Karikku (3.6 million)
‘Karikku’ meaning ‘tender coconut’ is the name of this Kerala-based outfit, whose videos several Malayalis across the world watch for the web-series ‘Thera Pera’ that is streamed on this platform. Created by Nikhil Prasad, the series is built on a situational comedy revolving bachelors and engineering graduates, and the actors are encouraged to improvise in situations, resulting in an unique brand of humour that Malayali audiences feel missing from the films the industry churns out. Other one-off videos like ‘FIFA vs TV serial’ and ‘Types of Malayali Teachers’ have also been huge hits.
Village Food Factory (3.37 million)
Another food channel, and also fronted by an elderly person! Known popularly as ‘Daddy’, the channel follows the seasoned cook prepare a variety of delicious, lip-smacking dishes in mammoth amounts, and experiment with some different ideas as well. Set in Theni district, Daddy’s name is Jaymukh Gopinath, and he is filmed by his son Arumugam, who is an amateur filmmaker.
The humble style of cooking (using simple equipment in the outdoors and branches to build fires) as well as the appetising appearance of the dishes — apart from the popular ones like Crab Soup and Mutton Chops, there are some daring recipes with Chicken Feet and a ‘Mutton Inside Chicken’ Biryani as well — make for earnest, enjoyable viewing and has transformed the life of this family.
Madan Gowri (2.71 million)
The 26-year old has been steadily growing in popularity with his tackling of popular topics on YouTube. He provides a quick breakup of the hot topics du jour with infographics and visuals to support his assertions. His style has amassed a huge audience who find Madan‘s simple explanations of complex day-to-day happenings a huge draw. He talks about current affairs, politics, environmental issues, women’s safety, history and trivia among other subjects in his channel.
Black Sheep (2.66 million)
Black Sheep dubs itself as an infotainment channel that offers a variety of content. It boasts of popular faces such as RJ Vigneshkanth who was with the group Smile Settai . The pranks and jokes from their YouTube channel were received so well the group went on to make a feature film, Nenjamundu Nermaiyundu Odu Raja , produced by actor Sivakarthikeyan! Their videos have socially conscious messages and commentary baked into pithy humour.
Madhura’s Recipe Marathi (2.51 million)
With over 650 videos featuring delectable recipes in Marathi, the channel’s roaring success could be a proven template for many home cooks looking to just serve their family on a daily basis, or bachelors struggling to come to terms with living away from their homes! With most videos under ten minutes that tackle classic dishes, sweet and savoury, the simple, fuss-free approach to cooking has become a hit. The channel is a wealth of regional and Indo-Chinese veg and non-veg recipes and cooking tips.
M4Tech (2.4 million)
M4Tech by Geo and Praveen Joseph is a tech news and tech tips channel with interesting videos on other technology and handy machinery. The channel posts how-to videos, instructions, guides and unboxing videos. Just over two years since its launch, the channel as 2.47 million subscribers. The channel has videos that provide DIY instructions such as on making an emergency light, party poopers, makeshift boats and fishtraps.
Nakkalites (2.2 million)
With their humorous take on slice-of-life situations, Nakkalites have become a household name in just over two years. Their alaparaigal (rants) have clocked millions of views and garnered much laughter across Tamil Nadu. What started off as a political satire channel morphed into variety entertainment, and with steady growth, they divided their contact between both subjects. They even launched a short web series after the growing popularity. The kongu brand of humour offered by the group had many takers and helped launched many channels that dealt with regional subjects.
Eruma Saani (2.2 million)
Vijay and Harija are the toast of college-goers in Tamil Nadu for their hilarious antics depicting events in a young couple’s relationship. The Coimbatore-based youngsters found an easy camaraderie in their videos, which was relatable to other youth watching them, and the talented supporting cast only adds to the party. Branching out into realms such as pitting 90s kids and 2000s kids against each other, engineering students vs arts students or Village Love vs City Love only heightened their popularity, to the point where they are now making a Kollywood feature film!
