‘Comic timing is in my genes’
You’d recognise her from the amusing videos in which she presents a humorous take on current affairs, Bollywood, Indian moms, coronavirus, protests and what not. You name it and Saloni Gaur aka Nazma Aapi has a view on it! The YouTuber feat comedian has been viral due to her character ‘Kangana Runout’, and has caught the attention of Twitterati, including celebs such as actor Sonam K Ahuja, who even shared Gaur’s video on Janta Curfew, imitating her.
With over 169K followers on Twitter, this final-year Political Science (Hons) student of Janki Devi Memorial College, Delhi University (DU), says she’s “overwhelmed” with the fame. Her Twitter bio reads, “I stare at people and make them feel super awkward.” “My first stand-up was in a freshers’ party,” she reminisces, adding, “My friends always said that I’ll ace the stand-up comedy scene! I used to mimic my teachers in school. Unhi ke kehne se I started mimicking actors. Comic timing is in my genes; my grandmother is really great with one-liners.”
Does keeping a tab on current affairs come with the territory of being a DU student? “Of course, yes. Also, my father always asked us to do two things — have a healthy breakfast and read newspapers daily. You’re surrounded by so much on Twitter. And some things need to be said,” says Gaur, adding why she isn’t apprehensive about impersonating stars, “I never talk about anything that is degrading. She (Kangana Runout) just reviews things; it’s nothing personal.”
Gaur, who has been on the social media scene for three years now, confesses that the fear of being trolled did bother her initially, and adds, “My Twitter notifications are muted now. My brother made me understand they are just keyboard warriors, who have cheap Internet.”