This Granny From Telangana Who Worked As A Farmworker Is Now A YouTube Star With 1.6 Millions Subscribers On Her Channel ‘My Village Show’. This Is So Inspiring
I am no good with the camera. I get all awkward and squirmy even when someone’s clicking my picture. Plus, I know for a fact that I can’t be funny with a lens staring at me. Maybe that’s why I have immense respect for people who make vlogs, skits and sketches and come up with funny content to put on social media, be it TikTok or YouTube (not starting that debate now). But there are some social media stars who are incredibly inspiring as they rise to fame beating all odds.
Just when I was pushing (read: dragging) myself out of bed and preparing myself to get through what seems like the Mondayest Monday ever, I came across an inspiration story about one one online sensation that blew my mind. A granny from Telangana who used to work on a farm and roll bidis for a living, is now a YouTube star and an actor. How? It was all because of her son-in-law and her great acting chops.
Gangavva Milkuri is a mom of three and granny of eight whose routine life a few years ago included tilling her in-law’s farms, rolling bidis and working as a coolie. It was her son-in-law, Srikanth Sriram, and a friend of his, Anil Geela who came up with the idea of putting the village life on film and cast Gangavva in their humorous sketches about the rural life. Before she knew it, Gangavva became a local celebrity and a YouTube sensation. She even got her ticket to Tollywood and starred in a number of serials and two Telugu movies. We have heard several success stories of regular people who found fame online but this one beats everything else. She is such a star!
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Her YouTube channel ‘My Village Show’ has over 1.6 million subscribers and some of her videos have reached as many as 33 million views. Her perfect comic timing and natural acting is what make the videos fun. But it’s no fluke. She actually likes acting and enjoys being in front of the camera. She said in an interview, “I like being in front of the camera, I like acting. It’s nice to know that people from all over India are watching what I do.” She even has an Instagram account which has amassed more than 45k followers.
Gangavva had no clue about YouTube before starring in the videos and never could have thought that one day it’s going to change her life. Talking about her son-in-law, she said, “He used to film plants and trees in the village. I used to think, ‘Why is this boy wasting his time making videos?’ I never imagined in my life that one day I would be in his videos!” She got her golden play button, a YouTube creator award for crossing 1 million subscribers in 2019. How great is that?
Having no formal education and an alcoholic husband propelled her to take up farmwork and small jobs to support her family. But now, thanks to the YouTube success and her acting stints, she is able to pay off debts and dreams of building her own house. She has even set a small library in her village that’s open to all.
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Also Read: A 103-Year-Old Granny Cheered Herself Up During The Pandemic By Ticking Two Items Off Her Bucket List. She Is Coping Tough Times Better Than All Of Us
She is a living proof that it is never too late to find your calling and do what you love. Who knows you might surprise yourself. “If we believe in our strengths, anything can happen. We must strongly want it to happen. I believed in the possibility that I could act,” she said. She now shuffles between her village and Telangana where she shoots. We wish her more success and a diamond play button soon!
