MSK, aka Mohammed Salim Khan, came to Mumbai’s Dharavi when he was 5 years old and stayed there for 20 years. It is in the slums of Dharavi that MSK’s story began. From a windowless attic in Asia’s biggest slum, MSK dreamt of seeing the world. And surprise! He did. Having started working for a living to make ends meet, MSK became a millionaire by the time he was 21. MSK now has over 1.5 million subscribers on YouTube for his travel and moto riding content and is a TedXSpeaker who talks about the “motivational power of poverty”.
MSK sat down with OPOYI’s Vaishnavi Vaidyanathan, over a cup of Zoom coffee, the pandemic-worn internet’s go-to café, and talked about his life, his work, and the travel destinations on his bucket list.
Tell us about your journey from Dharavi to the world wide web
I came to Mumbai when I was five years old and spoke Bengali. My dad sent me to a municipal school where I studied till the seventh standard. Subsequently, I moved to private school where I finished by tenth. Till then, I was fairly good in studies.
I was in class 10 when my father fell ill and I realised the importance of money. I channelled all my energies toward making money and started working in various marketing firms. I did my graduation from a college in Mumbai and within a year, by the time I was 21, I was a millionaire and I bought a home and a car.
Then I decided I wanted to be an actor. I joined an acting school where I met editors, directors and photographers. That’s when I decided to start my own production company with them. The first film we did won accolades at the Nashik Film Festival. However, soon after, all members of my production company got other offers and the company had to be shut down.
It was after that I discovered vlogging and started making videos on YouTube. My ulterior motive was to become an actor and filmmaker. I used the opportunity to improve my communication skills and learn editing. Soon, my videos started doing well and brands started to approach me for collaborations. When I reached one million subscribers on YouTube, I got serious about vlogging.
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What do you think are the fundamentals of travel vlogging?
When you travel, treat your camera like your friend. Make videos as if you are talking to a friend. Honesty is very important. Show your complete experience, be it good or bad. This will help the audience relate to you.
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What did you do during the lockdown?
At first, I did not know what content to make. Suddenly, all places were shut. I decided to take a chance and make home videos. To my surprise, the videos were liked by all and I got double the number of followers during the lockdown. What I thought wouldn’t work, actually did better.
In terms of travelling, the IPL was underway in Dubai when the first lockdown was lifted. So, I went there. When the second lockdown was lifted, I travelled to Russia and after the third lockdown, I visited Abu Dhabi.
What are your personal travel goals?
I wish to visit all countries, see all terrains and create memories there.
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What is your message to your fans?
Keep supporting me. I get a lot of love so keep loving my content and supporting me. Most importantly, trust me.
