The Man behind ‘Tu Beer Hai…’

TVF is on a roll. With their Pitchers series and ‘Tu Beer Hai *ahem ahem*’ getting accolades across the country, they’ve recently launched the 2^nd Season of Permanent Roommates.

For the uninitiated, TVF Pitchers is about four friends, Naveen Bansal (Naveen), Jitendra Maheshwari (Jitu), Yogendra Kumar (Yogi), and Saurabh Mandal (Mandal) launching their own start-up.

The series revolves around how these four friends rediscover what they really want from life and the challenges they face to get their off the ground.

Business Insider India spoke to Arunabh Kumar, the CEO of The Viral Fever on how it all started.

How did you stumble upon this idea?
I wrote TVF Pitches back in July 2012. The idea back then was to write a startup comedy.

It took us 3 years, but it couldn’t have been timed better. 2015 is when the startup boom happened, and we decided to tell an aspirational story rather than give it a comic treatment. That’s how it started, the rest is history.

What was the core idea?
For startups it’s always about pitching. The idea was to have a series on Pitchers - people who pitch till the evening and sit over a pitcher in the evening.People say Bangalore’s a copy of Silicon Valley. They couldn’t be more mistaken.

What was your research like?
I passed out of IIT Kharagpur in 2006, and 2008 was when a lot of this started. I remember meeting Abhishek, a friend who had invested in Flipkart, a company that sold second hand books. Me and Golu met a couple of startups in Bangalore. There were friends in IIT Bombay.

We wanted to keep it very real. That’s why we also got Kunal Shah and Kunal Bahl to feature in it.

What has the reaction been so far?
‘Tu Beer hai’ has become the new startup phrase. One couldn’t have asked for more.The series has gone on to become the 22^nd best show globally. Many more will discover it with the upcoming 2^nd season.

Next Season? When’s that?
By the end of the year.

Will you consider a TV Series like On Air with AIB?
We’re in talks with several networks, but that’s a different art form altogether. They’re (AIB) the best guys to do it. We generally work on fiction.

What triggered the standup comedy boom in India?
The credit goes to people like Rivaldo and AIB. That way people have started laughing, and developed a sense of humor.

Creators have also realized it’s the easier thing to do over the tedious art direction and costume designing, writing and editing.

If you write well and are a goof performer you can pick up a mike and get going!

Do you think it was the tipping point of intolerance or the comic buildup that helped?
I think it was a gradual buildup. The AIB Roast controversy was really the trigger. When you have idols to aim to it makes the job so much easier. It helps the ecosystem. It’s a welcome change.

What’s your idea of the under 35 young and progressive Indian youth?
They’re sensible, honest and want to watch quality entertainment.

It’s more than the horniness, booze and profanity. The problem really is that the content generators know only these. The creators need to work really hard. The industry can’t be lazy and replicate tried-and-tested models.

Your advice to a to-be YouTuber.
Enjoy the process rather than the result.

If you enjoy making videos you’ll end up becoming a film-maker . If you like the idea of being a film-maker, you’ll end up being no one.