In an age where the internet has dissolved geographical boundaries, creativity knows no borders. Shaavir Noorani, an Indian-Pakistani video content creator, who has not only embraced this digital era but has also embarked on a remarkable journey, all while captivating audiences with his unique content. He has not only crafted an engaging digital presence but has also become a guiding light for countless individuals seeking solace and understanding in matters of the heart. During an exclusive interview with TINDS, Shaavir shared his story of stepping into social media and making a space for himself coming this far.
TINDS: Tell us a little bit about your childhood. Where were you born and where did you grow up?
Shaavir: I was born in Houston, Texas. I was very obese as a kid. You’d be able to understand better if you’ve seen the movie “Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham”. I was the character Rohan in the movie. Everyone even called me Laddoo. I kind of grew up getting bullied for my weight and then, it was a bit tough because being South Asian in America, especially during the 9/11 era, there were a lot of facial slurs and not to mention being overweight. There was a lot of unwanted attention but it was a great transition because it definitely built a lot of character and I learned a lot from it growing up and now the best thing that I have is my personality.
TINDS: Where are your parents from?
Shaavir: My mom is from Bangalore in India and my dad is from Karachi, Pakistan. They actually met working, here in the US and they just found love.
TINDS: Do you visit India often?
Shaavir: I haven’t been there in a decade but I plan on visiting soon, maybe next year. I am excited and looking forward to eating the food there, hanging out and meeting my friends from social media.
TINDS: Describe yourself in three words.
Shaavir: Driven, Goofy and Talkative.
TINDS: Tell us a little about your educational background.
Shaavir: I majored in Economics and I did Finance for around two years until I started looking into my family business like any other desi guy. I moved to San Antonio and started handling the operations for the gas stations and truck stops that my family owns.
TINDS: How did you get into making videos? What was the start like?
Shaavir: This is actually kind of deep. So basically I was going through a breakup and I knew that whenever I post something she would see it. I made a video targeting her, obviously not in a bad way. The video I posted went viral and I was just sitting there waiting for a text back. I realized there was a demographic who are basically sad and that’s how it all started. It started growing from there. All I was doing was posting content and just working. I’d be at the gas station working, helping out everybody, do the operations and finances and then after three o’clock, I would film for six hours straight and put out content and what resonated was that there’s a big South Asian community in Houston, Texas, and people could relate to what I was posting. I once had a 16 year old kid come up to me and say, “Hey man, I just went through a breakup and your videos are really related to me.” I was amazed and had a sense of accomplishment that I made something happen.
TINDS: When did you start posting videos and where ?
Shaavir: It was right during COVID, in 2020 when everything was crazy around. Tiktok got really big during that time and I had substantial growth in terms of followers. I gained around 50k followers in the span of a year. And then on Instagram, I started reposting it and then literally overnight I went from 5k to 30k followers and I was amazed. Surprisingly, In the last five months, I’ve gained almost 80 to 90 thousand followers and the amount of attention is absolutely insane.
TINDS: How is your experience of working with brands?
Shaavir: A lot of brands are very open to every opportunity. Because there’s no list on what people charge and their rates and no one really tells you what’s going on, it’s often very confusing. But once you figure out how to market yourself, there’s no looking back. I’ve learned that if you know yourself and market yourself correctly, you can make a living out of this. Confidence is key. You just gotta act like you own it.
TINDS: Majority of your videos are about love & heartbreaks mostly. Is this all about the one breakup you mentioned earlier?
Shaavir: Yes. I went through a rather hard breakup in college. It is so saturated and a lot of people have their very own made up rules like you have to wait to text back and all this stuff, but I realized if you’re unapologetically yourself, you’ll gain something out of it. Obviously I’m kind of overdoing it now because it’s getting views, but initially, it was because a lot of people can relate to what I was going through because they were going through it too at some point in life. I decided that I was gonna post my issues and I was confident that other people have had the same issues and I want to make it evident that we can talk about it and in an open space. My contents are like a free therapy session and that’s basically the whole point of me doing this.
TINDS: What’s keeping you busy recently?
Shaavir: I just started a podcast which is basically for people in their young 20s or mid-20’s where they can express their thoughts. We talk about how to navigate social media when it comes to flirting and sliding into the DMs. It’s just another way to kind of get the audience to connect and relate. I wanted another platform where I can showcase my thoughts and concerns and people can participate.
TINDS: Coming this far, what have you had to struggle with?
Shaavir: I think the negativity. When you’re on social media there are pros and cons to it. The good thing is, you’re popular and you can make money out of it and you’re making an influence and people are changing from your videos. The negative part is you’re in everybody’s eyes. People are always judging and you’re more likely to always get some sort of hatred. You really have to have thick skin and you have to be very confident in yourself to be able to do this because anybody could get viral. You just need to have a purpose and be relatable and once people get that, anybody can be viral on social media.
TINDS: What would you advise young content creators?
Shaavir: Honestly, to post every single day. Be proud of yourself. I would advise them to kind of just stick to it and take it one day at a time. Success is not gonna come overnight. There’s no tricks, there’s no tactics, it’s just genuine consistency.
Find Him
Instagram: Shaavir Lakhani (@shaavir6) • Instagram photos and videos
TikTok: Shaavir Noorani (@shaavir6) | TikTok
Youtube: Shaavir Noorani – YouTube
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