Ever thought about how our politicians would fare in a job interview? Pocket Change, a Hindi comedy YouTube channel by Mumbai’s Civic Studios, presents a hilarious take on the topic in one of their videos. By picking issues that affect the youth, ranging from policy to policing, the channel hopes to empower youth using humour and bite-sized content. The team released their first video on Republic Day last year given their content’s emphasis on good governance.

For founder Anushka Shah, the goal is to use entertainment to create a better India. “We want entertainment to be rooted in problems that we see around us,” she says. But the idea is to not just talk about the problems, but also offer solutions. “This way, we show how one can engage with the system to improve the prevailing laws and policies on ground.” Content manager Roohi Bhatia says their research has played a pivotal role in the creative and development process. “Our research team works hand-in-hand with the creative team. They look for issues that are relatable and the pain points that would matter most to them [youth],” says Bhatia.  The team also conducted a research study with people between the age group of 18-24 from across the country and the inputs they gleaned became conversation starters. PDA (public display of affection) was one such. “The current content scene in India is tailored for OTT platforms,” notes Kaviraj Singh, channel head of Pocket Change. “But when it comes to content related to change, there is a need for logical, critical and factually correct thinking. It’s like a ‘toofan’ of incorrect information and people don’t know where to look for the right answers.” The aim, says Singh, is to not be politically correct, but factually on point. The onus on getting facts right lies with the creators because consumers don’t have the time to fact-check and research, points out Vishnu Menon Nair, creative producer of the channel. “Most often people consume content, and accept anything and everything without  questioning.”