The influencer war that took rural creator Pujarini Pradhan global |
Opinion National Interest PoV 50-Word Edit
ThePrint On Camera Videos In Pictures
Society & Culture Around Town Book Excerpts Vigyapanti The Dating Story
More Judiciary Education YourTurn Work With Us Campus Voice
Opinion National Interest PoV 50-Word Edit
ThePrint On Camera Videos In Pictures
Society & Culture Around Town Book Excerpts Vigyapanti The Dating Story
More Judiciary Education YourTurn Work With Us Campus Voice
The influencer war that took rural creator Pujarini Pradhan global
As social media debated whether audiences were consuming Pujarini Pradhan as a symbol, The Juggernaut turned her into a story that could circulate globally, with or without her participation.
It began with an accusation. Instagram influencer Niharika Jain posted videos on fellow creator Pujarini Pradhan dissecting her rapid rise. Another creator, Aishwarya Subramanyam, took it further and called Pujarini an “industry plant,” suggesting that the now-viral rural Bengali who speaks about books, cinema and caste in English may not be as organic as she appears. That she has a team helping her shoot, edit and upload. That her simplicity might be, at least in part, staged.
The allegation struck a nerve, which then snowballed into a frenzy. The internet rallied behind Pujarini, who responded with a video disclosing her earnings, explaining her process, and admitting she did not even understand the terminology being used for her.
Then the story drew international attention. Snigdha Sur, founder of the New York-based South Asian platform, The Juggernaut, stepped in sensing a story. And so, Journalist Tulika Bose reached out to both Pujarini and Aishwarya on X. What was routine outreach became its own controversy: Pujarini was asked to “DM me”, while Aishwarya was told, “Please DM me”.
A small difference, but on social media, it became evidence. Lost in this churn is a simpler truth — Pujarini was always going to provoke this reaction.
Pujarini’s rise sits on a contradiction that the world has not learned to process. She is a lower-middle-class woman from East Midnapore, married young, who taught herself to read voraciously and now speaks fluent English — with an unmistakable,........