Exactly two years ago, as HT Brunch transitioned into its current millennial-focussed avatar, the instructions of the Editor-in-Chief were clear: “As far as possible, let’s not have anyone born before 1990 on the cover of Brunch.”
Usually the youngest editor in the newsroom, I suddenly felt old.
For the first issue after the refresh, we played it safe. We picked the 1990 and ’95 born brothers, Amaal and Armaan Malik. Both were as established in Bollywood music as they were on social media, so their story found appeal across generations.
But the second cover was not quite as simple.
Diipa Büller-Khosla, then 30, and one of our cover stars today, had given us an interview on the idea of “influencing” and the new affluence it was generating. (FYI, at Brunch, we still find the term “influencer” faulty, and prefer to use “content creator” instead.) Diipa was one of the earlier Indian fashion content creators and her success was ratified by the fact that she had walked the red carpet at Cannes (before publicity-seekers began self-inviting themselves), had been picked by Mac Cosmetics for a campaign aimed at brown-skinned women, and had been featured by Maybelline on a giant hoarding in Central London.
On the personal front, Diipa had just married Dutch diplomat Oleg Büller in a traditional Indian ceremony, where her new husband had famously touched the feet of his bride in return, sparking off fresh ideas that young India loved.
Yet, I was worried. Diipa was not a Bollywood star… would anyone pick up the magazine at all?
In defence, I fronted the cover with her list of achievements, asked the writer to bring in endorsements from more conventional celebs, and on Instagram, I carouselled the cover with her hoarding and successful brand campaigns.
Turns out, my insecurity was unfounded.
Not only was Diipa’s story loved and accepted, it opened the floodgates for magazines to do covers with “selfie-made” celebrities from social media who may have rattled older readers at first, but are now accepted as legit stars in their own right.
Many young content creators featured in HT Brunch have bagged starring roles in mainstream movies. They feature in advertisements, are showstoppers at fashion shows, and while promoting their films, Bollywood actors now ask social media creators to feature them on their platforms to ensure their movies get noticed!
HT Brunch is proud to have been the first magazine to recognise the potential. Join us with Diipa and Rahi Chadda—a self-made supermodel scorching int’l fashion ramps—as we continue to encourage young talent.
Sorry, people my age: The best stuff out there today comes from those born after 1990!
Also in this issue: Triggered by the recent ban of a popular content creator for obscenity, YouTuber Achina Mayya writes a guest column on the best ways to create, consume and react to content online.
In the face of several failures, Rajeev Masand presents a plan for Bollywood to redeem itself.
And our travel story takes us to Mauritius, underlines the cultural connect, and asks: why isn’t this the island of choice for Indian travellers in the ocean down south?
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From HT Brunch, September 3, 2022
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