Tamil-language TikTok stars Kaartik and Rekka gain popularity across diverse audiences

PUTRAJAYA - K. Kaartik and his wife N. Rekka never expected that their Tamil-language videos, which reflect the daily lives of people in the country particularly the B40 group, would capture the attention of a diverse audience.

With over 300,000 followers on social media, including 230,000 on TikTok and 110,000 on Facebook through their 'Kaartik RK' account, their casual and humorous approach of conveying their messages has made them popular.

In fact, their latest videos are eagerly awaited by their followers, and interestingly, if you look at the comments section, 90 percent of those responding are from the Malay community.

"Initially, our videos had no subtitles because they were intended for the Indian community. But surprisingly, many people from other races also enjoyed what we were presenting. The idea to add subtitles came after Malay followers requested them because they didn’t understand Tamil.

"So, we followed their suggestion and as expected, we received a lot of positive feedback stating that the videos were very relatable as they depict situations that happen in homes and everyday life... the situations can be funny or serious," Kaartik told Bernama.

Kaartik, 38, a lorry driver, and his wife focus on creating short videos about "a Tamil family” to convey family-related messages.

As a father of five children aged between 20 and three, Kaartik also wants to highlight that family life can be fulfilling even without having a luxurious lifestyle.

"In our videos, we also include content about the relationship between husband and wife and their family who are leading a simple life. Besides the messages we want to convey, this platform also seems to strengthen our bond with our children as we brainstorm together.

"Our 12-year-old daughter helps with filming and editing. This is great exposure for her to hone her skills," he said, adding he started being active on social media during the Movement Control Order (MCO) when he did not have much work to do due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting with only 26 TikTok followers and no exposure to the world of social media, Kaartik’s talent as an influencer was discovered by his mentor Ahmad Badli Badaruddin during a social media coaching session.

"During the coaching session, they trained us to create videos and set a target of gaining 1,000 followers within a week. So, I made a Tamil-language TikTok video and surprisingly, I gained 8,000 followers. My mentor was shocked and gave me a second challenge to reach 20,000 followers.

"In one week, I gained 45,000 followers, and that’s when my mentor recognised my hidden talent, which he said I could develop to become an influencer. However, I needed an identity so we decided to focus on content related to the B40 community," he said.

When asked how he balances his job, family and social media commitments, Kaartik admitted it was challenging but with Rekka’s support and motivated by their growing number of followers, he has managed to allocate his time effectively.

"We try to upload at least one video a day. Usually, we record at home after 10 pm to avoid disturbing the neighbours. We’ve even received comments asking us to post videos every Monday to help relieve Monday blues stress.

"By being influencers, we’ve learned many new things like video editing, creating graphics and so on, but most importantly, we’ve made a lot of friends. In the long term, we plan to set up an agency, like a modelling agency, to manage local influencers," he said. - BERNAMA