Former TikTok stars now eye acting jobs

• Content creators and platform owners see much appeal in casting these faces that online audiences are familiar with

NEW DELHI: Cashing in on their popularity among online audiences, a bunch of TikTok influencers have taken on acting roles in upcoming movies and web series. In June, the Indian government had banned the Chinese app, including 59 others, following India-China face-off in the Galwan Valley.

While two popular faces -- Faizal Shaikh, a fashion influencer, and Ruhi Singh (actor and dancers) -- will be seen in ALTBalaji’s 'Bang Baang-The Sound of Crimes', Sachin Tiwari from Uttar Pradesh has been cast in a film called 'Suicide or Murder: A Star was Lost' inspired by the life of Sushant Singh Rajput, thanks to his strong resemblance to the late actor. Famous TikToker Vishal Parekh is all set to make his screen debut in a Gujarati web show called 'Prem Pooja'. Both Tiwari and Parekh were popular for dialogue skills.

Content creators and platform owners see much appeal in casting these faces that online audiences are familiar with.

“Digital media thrives in its hyper-connectivity. If any content is unique and appealing, netizens will share it across platforms, and it holds a chance to go viral. This multi-platform presence has provided a loyal fanbase to TikTok stars and made them easily recognizable amongst online audiences," said Nachiket Pantvaidya, CEO, ALTBalaji and group chief operating officer, Balaji Telefilms Ltd.

“TikTok had over 200 million users in India, most of them in the 16-24 age bracket, making TikTok stars popular amongst the youth. Along with acting skills, TikTok stars also bring with themselves a strong mass appeal that adds value to both the platform and the audience alike," Pantvaidya added.

Shailesh Kapoor, founder and CEO of media consulting firm Ormax said top TikTok stars are fairly recognisable, on a par with or sometimes even more than top YouTube stars.

“Platforms signing up TikTok stars for acting jobs or endorsements are targeting their fan base, which varies for different stars, depending on their content. But in general, TikTok fanbase is more mass and spread across pop strata, and not limited to just the big cities," Kapoor said adding that the casting of TikTok stars definitely leads to curiosity, not just because of the controversy (around the app) but also because these stars have built a fanbase which wants to see more of them.

“Compared to casting newcomers, this is a good marketing ploy. However, they have to eventually deliver at least a passable level of performance for the show to be watchable, something which the platforms can gauge through an auditions process," Kapoor added.

The rise of recognisable, small-town faces may also be part of the broader trajectory in the entertainment industry that has begun to favour the accessible and approachable instead of the larger-than-life actors as more realistic, slice-of-life narratives gain ground. It is, at the same time, a cost-effective strategy. Compared to established faces that can command up to ₹25 lakh per episode (of a web show), TikTok stars would fall in the range of Rs. 1-2 lakh.

“Acting in web-series and films is aspirational for most digital stars. Hence, they are willing to take up such assignments at low renumeration, because they see it as the ‘next level’ for themselves," Kapoor said.