If you idealise and blindly follow social media influencers like all of us used to follow Bollywood celebrities till sometime back, watch this Amazon miniTV’s new short film, Influencer’s Life.
It reminded me of Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion and Page 3. Reality is far from what you see on the screen, earlier it was on TV screens, now it is on smartphone screens. Only the medium has changed but the drama is still the same. Selling unrealistic dreams has always been and will always be the glamour world’s agenda. I won’t say it’s totally their fault. We are consuming this unintellectual content day in and day out in the name of entertainment. That is why people are going to the extent of circulating accident, murder, and funeral videos in the name of content. Because this is what makes us stop and watch.
Something like Influencer Life was needed at this point in time. I don’t know how much it will make people think about what is right and what is wrong because most of us have gone beyond right and wrong now, but even if it changes a single person’s perspective towards this influencer game, there would be nothing like it.
Earlier people wanted to be actors, all thanks to the name and fame it brought. Today, people want to become influencers. Again, thanks to the name and fame it’s bringing. But in both the scenarios, people who have no direct connection with the industry never got to know what goes behind the camera. These fields are not as simple as they look. Recording a video from a smartphone and putting it up on social media doesn’t make you a star overnight. There is a team behind it. There are strategies behind it. There is a hell lot of marketing behind it. And then comes the crazy collaborations to stay ahead in the game “mostly of money-making.”
And here’s bad news for the unversed: It doesn’t always go as planned.
Speaking of the performances, as the film revolves around the influencer, Kareena, the casting had to be perfect or else, the film would have lost its charm. Amyra Dastur is the perfect influencer who looks cute and dumb but in reality, is cunning and smart. Amyra has done a great job here. Her portrayal of Influencer reminded me of a Bollywood actress, mainly the way she speaks. Can you guess the actress? If yes, let me know who the actress is in the comments below.