Mashrur Rabbi Enan aka Keto Bhai shares his journey as a content creator with K Tanzeel Zaman and lets him take a peek into his future plans
In a dark, depressing post-pandemic world, it has been a natural stance for many to find and hope for small flakes of positivity to make our days better. Some went on to focus on their personal growth, and some went on to learn whatever they could to divert their minds. Nevertheless, a massive number of people were always glued to the screens of their smartphones. And during that period there was one such phenomenon which redefined the meaning of grabbing attention. From making parodies to making social awareness songs, Mashrur Rabbi Enan aka Keto Bhai has been able to win the hearts of millions with his candid demeanour and with his hometown, Barshailla dialect. ICE today went on to inquire about his journey as a content creator and as an individual with a positive aura.
What’s the story behind Keto Bhai?
The story of Keto Bhai began with my uncle, who was a big guy of 110 kg. He lived in Canada and would visit us once a year for a great, family get-together. During one such visit, we were shocked to see that my uncle had dramatically dropped about 50 kgs. All my relatives were very curious as to how he did it, and he shrugged it off by just saying it was the result of following a keto diet. My mother, especially, was so fascinated by this that she looked up a famous nutritionist mentioned by my uncle and found his keto diet plan online. She declared that from then on, there’d be no carbs cooked in the house; the whole family were to strictly follow a keto diet plan to start a healthy lifestyle, just like my uncle!
This meant that no rice, roti or paratha would be served in my house anymore; the very thought of which devastated and angered me to no bounds! Being someone whose favourite food has always been rice, I couldn’t imagine a world without this staple and, in frustration, I made a sarcastic rant video about it. I posted it online, and one of the comments that came up dubbed me, without understanding too many of the details of my story, as ‘our Keto Bhai.’ I found the title adorably cute and very unique to me, so I began going by this very name since then!
What inspired you to make your own content?
Content creation has become very mainstream these days. I take great pride in hailing from Barisal, but the age-old prejudices we associate with the region have left a negative impression of it in the society. The great Bangladeshi actor, Mosharraf Karim, also being from Barisal, has, through his work in television dramas and films, managed to bring about a positive perception of the district in people’s eyes. I aspired to follow his footsteps. Also, given how people communicate best in their colloquial language, I decided to start my journey in content-making by staying true to my roots.
Your popularity basically blew up during the lockdown. What did you do to grab the attention of your followers?
Every influencer or content creator wishes to claim the limelight. When the lockdown was announced way back in March, and I had to return to Barisal, everyone online was posting about Covid-19. I wanted to stay relevant and put my two cents out there too; at least that’s what my followers expected of me. But I wanted to do it in a unique way. I grabbed the ukulele that I’d rarely ever used before then and composed a lyrically funny, catchy jingle-like song about the pandemic and lockdown. And that’s how The Keto Happy Song was born. The intention wasn’t to go viral; I just wanted to cheer people up with humour and wit during difficult times. To my surprise, the video garnered over a thousand shares in only 5 minutes of being posted, and my popularity just grew more from there!
In the world of cheap internet, everyone wants to be an influencer. What is your comment on that?
Lately, I feel YouTubers have gathered a bit of bad press from people online. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be an influencer. But I think that a lot of people target this line of work because it’s a gateway to easy fame. The majority of the audience we seek to entertain online aren’t too woke or savvy in the kind of material they share and popularise; most of the time, people share whatever it is that they find amusing. And that ends up promoting a mixture of positive and negative posts. I want to see people being smart about what they like and share on social media and the kind of content they are hyped up by. If we begin sharing good and healthy content, influencers everywhere will be more motivated to do their part in spreading positivity through the community they’ve created too.
In the world of digitalisation and content creation, do you think stupid is the new sexy?
Yes, sadly. I think we have managed to make stupid look sexy online by thoughtlessly promoting it. A case in point can be a campaign I launched a while ago called the Thankyou Initiative. Typically, we love sarcastic parodies and to see someone or something being ‘roasted’ online. Amid all such parodies, I posted an appreciation video, promoting the good guys out there; the ones working hard to come up with original content, preaching social messages and doing their bit to provide joy to everyone around. I was disappointed to see the video only got about 70 shares, whereas, another video I’d made ‘roasting’ Trump garnered 900 shares. It’s sad to see goodness getting lost in a sea of negativity. Stupidity in digital content is fine; we all enjoy it, but what you put out there should also serve a purpose. People should be able to take something away, maybe, a lesson, from watching your video.
Unlike others, you believe in standing for anything positive. What drives you in serving such causes, and why?
The audience we mostly cater to are of the 18-25 age group, but I’ve always looked to make something that people of all ages can relate to and learn from. I asked myself, “What can be a campaign that everyone everywhere can look forward to?” And I came up with Bachte Hole Jante Hobe –it’s where I talk about issues and situations that can benefit almost anyone regardless of age. It’s a great feeling when friends text me to let me know that their parents especially enjoyed my content and now look forward to my videos! That’s definitely a driving factor.
How do you suggest your fellow YouTubers and influencers share sensible content?
Understanding Bangladesh’s audience is tricky; moral, religious and political restraints can make creating content challenging. Even educational posts aren’t safe anymore! Such being the case, I want to tell all the YouTubers out there to make whatever it is that they want to but to include a spin of positivity within. Embed a lesson in your content; make it useful or informative for anyone watching.
What’s next for Keto Bhai?
I have a few ideas for new content in the pipeline. Regardless of what I make, I always try to have fun with it. With entertainment, the goal is also to deliver a social message lined with humour. It doesn’t matter if my videos are viewed a thousand times or ten thousand times as long as they tick the three boxes: positive, amusing and social.
Any closing statements?
I want to end just saying that it can be fairly easy to lose yourself amidst negativity. Try not to let it overwhelm you and, instead, aim to thrive in optimism. That way, you’ll give yourself and everyone around you the gift of joy.