Two for the win

Ankush Bahuguna and his mother Manju began making videos with each other during the lockdown

So many people recognise my mother from Garhwali movies. She is a big star there. She is on Amazon Prime, as well. But, I have never seen her movies," admits content creator and social media influencer Ankush Bahuguna of his mum Manju, a Garhwali actor, and now a constant on his Instagram feed. Manju also had small roles in Pataal Lok (2020) and the political drama Tandav (2021). The two are now making his 746k followers laugh with their mother-son camaraderie.

"In reality, it's not like this at all; we fight all the time. People think we get along, but it's quite the opposite," says Delhi-based Ankush. The duo started making videos only during the lockdown, as they finally got to spend more time together.

The most recent one has the two enacting the famous Pooja Misra scene from Bigg Boss 5, where the model gets into a fight with fellow contestant Shonali Nagrani.
Manju, who has been acting for 30 years now, says Ankush is demanding, when it comes to the quality of performance. "In her movies, the script used to be handed over to her. But I have to figure an idea, write a script, plan treatment - it's all left to me. So, I am very exacting. I even write all the Hindi dialogues. But, if we make a family type of video, where it's about what happens in our home, she writes all the Garhwali dialogues," says Ankush, who has also gained fame for his makeup videos, where he talks about normalising men wearing makeup. It's a far cry from studying to be an architect. "Arre, I have made them waste so much money on my education," laughs Ankush. His mother says matter-of-factly, "But, we ensured that he completed his education. Now, I am very happy with what he is doing. He is a celebrity. People look at us again and again in malls, and then we get asked for selfies. So many people want to talk to us."

These days, they are committed to making more content, and have formed a little team at home, which also includes his father. "Papa is retired now, and he is the camera man. I have explained it all to him, so he shoots all our content. He enjoys being part of the process," says Ankush. And though they both love making videos, Ankush is committed to creating diverse content. "I don't just want to do mum-son content. I want to focus on acting, auditioning, and also doing my makeup videos, as I am training to be a makeup artiste now." His mother has a more emotional answer, when she says, "I don't have much of a future left. I have lived a good life, so I just want to act with him in his videos as much as I can. I keep waiting for him to ask me ‘mum, let's make a video'. I am ready all the time."