Can consistently creating ‘quality cringe’ content turn you into a social media star? Netizens, afflicted with FoMO (Fear of Missing Out), and inclined to hit the share button at the drop of a hat, have propelled figures like Raku Da from Assam to stardom, illustrating this phenomenon.
Rajkumar Thakuria or “popularly” called Raku Da or Mr Rajkumar, by his thousands of “fans”, has been pursuing a career out of his “acting” and “singing” “skills”. A former bank employee who quit the job for his music career, Mr Rajkumar has a steady following on the social media.
His fans call him a “pioneer” in Assam. His YouTube channel has nearly 70,000 subscribers with millions of views in just over 140 videos. Some of his “famous” hits include: “I am a doctor”, “deewani tu deewani”, “agar mein chand hota tu”, “naam tumhaara kya” and etc.
Raku Da is a “multilingual” singer. He has sung songs in Hindi, Assamese, English and Bengali languages.
Mr Rajkumar is also a director, producer and actor. He has acted, directed and produced films like – ‘Criminal Hunter’, ‘Animal killer’, ‘Wondrous army’ etc.
His success story off the social media includes multiple shows he does every year in even places like Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh.
Raku Da’s official recognition came when he was made a brand ambassador for voter awareness during the Assam assembly elections in 2021. He was roped in by the Kamrup district administration in Assam for the noble work.
Urging people to come out and vote, Raku da, in his own unique style, announced: “Moi ajon simple voter, hobo ulaisu brand ambassador (I am a simple voter, will be a brand ambassador).”
But, how does people like Mr Rajkumar feed off from social media FoMO?
While Mr Rajkumar’s “vast” body of work across various creative fields may not have been that captivating for the audiences with his (lack of) talent, but with netizens willing to go the extra mile to like, share and subscribe to such entertaining content, which may not be treated as good literature, has led to the birth of multiple influencers like Raku da.
While most intellectuals prefer to disregard the hard work that these aspiring wannabe celebrities put in every day, it is undeniable that individuals like Raku Da have to toil relentlessly to stay in the public eye and remain relevant — and that too for years.
