Carry Minati: My mother wanted me to go for medical studies
As HT City turns 25, YouTuber CarryMinati, also turning 25 later this year, talks life, work, insecurities and starting out with humble dreams.
In the decade or so that CarryMinati has plied his trade, contemporaries and trends have come and gone even as the YouTuber, whose real name is Ajey Nagar, has amassed fans and followers. Set to turn 25 this year (in June), alongside HT City, Carry, who has 41.4M followers on YouTube, says the dream was nothing too fancy. “My expectations were nothing. I only wanted 50K subscribers, a room to play my games in and make enough money to be able to buy new games and create content,” he recalls.
Once the channel gained traction, the challenges changed. “Now, I have to cater to expectations. I struggle with that, as I do with getting out of the house. I have the fear that once I am outdoors, I will be judged, or that even if I eat, I will have 10 people staring at me,” explains the Runway 34 (2023) actor, adding that the pressure of being relatable, too, takes its toll: “I can’t make content if I don’t relate to people. For that, I need to have a normal life. If there’s a disconnect, it’ll all fail.”
The journey hasn’t been without its share of skepticism either. “Initially, my parents weren’t with me. After 10th, my mother wanted me to go for medical studies. I knew I couldn’t do it. So, I said, ‘Buy me a PC’, and chose arts,” recounts Carry, whose mum is a doctor, dad a lawyer, and grandfather (late Shri Gajraj Bahadur Nagar), the first president of Delhi University Students’ Union and later a Cabinet Minister in the Haryana Government.
The YouTuber values constructive criticism in his growth as a creator. “I take criticism seriously, but only if it has value to it. Otherwise, I just really don’t have the time,” says Carry, adding, “The amount of criticism I receive, I criticise myself 10 times more for the same thing.”
As he approaches 25, Carry embraces the uncertainties ahead. “My thing has changed. Now I have to make choices. I can’t predict how the conditions will change,” the YouTuber signs off.
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