Salman Noman, a 30-year-old from Karachi’s impoverished Korangi suburb, started creating musical videos on YouTube in 2021, but after not gaining much traction, he stopped making social media content.
However, after a hiatus of about seven months, Noman returned to digital content with a different approach in January 2022, making comedy short videos, which have become a resounding success.
His first video became an overnight hit, garnering 15 million views, and he has now reached a milestone of 13.5 million subscribers, the highest number ever recorded by a Pakistani content creator.
Google awarded Noman with a Diamond Play Button, and the Sindh government held a special ceremony to celebrate his achievements. Noman believes his originality is key to his success in content creation, and he has never felt the need to purchase big cameras, mics or lights, as his cellphone suffices for recording his videos.
His videos are mostly shot at food stalls and an adjacent shop that his father owns, providing an opportunity to add humour to the street life in Karachi.
Despite focusing mostly on comedy, Noman has also covered serious issues such as divorce, homeless children adoption and coronavirus precautions.
Although he started out intending to become a singer, his comedy videos gained more traction, and he started making parody versions of famous songs instead. Noman plans to return to his first love, music, and is looking to release a song after Eid.
