Telugu YouTubers have been doing their best during the lockdown to keep their viewers engaged with material that is both informative and entertaining.
From My Village Show, which is known for its content focusing on rural life in Telangana, to Chai Bisket, which creates content for the urban youth in the two Telugu states, the YouTubers have adapted to the circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As was only to be expected, their work has not become any simpler with the lockdown, they say.
"This lockdown was a surprise to everyone. At first we thought it would only last for a day but it has been extended till date," says Anil Geela from My Village Show channel.
"We are focusing on content from everyday life based on what people are doing during the lockdown. We are all staying in our own homes and coming up with videos through means that are available to us. Some of us are using mobile phones while others are using their professional cameras," he adds.
In a recent video, My Village Show has done a spin on online education during the lockdown, and the challenges faced by both teachers and students.
The channel has also done another video on how different people respond when in quarantine, which managed to tickle the ribs of the audience.
However, the YouTube space has become very competitive as several celebrities are also posting their own videos for their fans.
"The number of views are distributed across several channels which are coming up these days. Though we thought that there would be more views during the lockdown, it was not up to our expectation," says a member from the Chai Bisket channel.
The member adds that with the lockdown, they have improvised their scripts to suit the current situation.
"For example, earlier, we used to make videos on food from restaurants. Now we are doing videos on how to cook at home. We are improvising on our scripts and shooting from individual homes," shares the Chai Bisket member.
The channel has come up with a series during the lockdown called 'Corona Times'.
Initially, the team came up with one video which received a good response from viewers, and they then decided to turn it into a series with the extension of the lockdown. They have been releasing one video a week.
"With the lockdown, as people have a lot of time at their disposal, several channels, be it new or old, are coming up creative content, which is also being encouraged by viewers," says Siri Raasi, who features in videos of Chai Bisket and Girl Formula.
The actors are also now dealing with the technicalities of shooting.
"We are taking the help of our family members in recording the video using our mobiles. We usually never bothered about issues regarding the footage as the cinematographer would take care of this. However, now we are paying attention to these details of pre-production as well," says Siri.
Apart from channels with web series, several cooking and 'Do it Yourself' videos are also being watched on YouTube during the lockdown period.