'Golden Hyderabadi' eying web series in Deccani lingo

Winning lakhs of hearts with his humorous punches in a typical Hyderabadi, err, Deccani ishtyle, the most famous Youtuber of the city, Abdul Razzak, 28, is going places as an actor, too. After a dream stint in a Bollywood film, 'Laal Kaptaan' starring Saif Ali Khan, an d a key role in 'The Ghazi Attack' led by Rana Daggupati, Razzak is choosing to do what he is best at – showcasing Hyderabadi culture and lingo.

Razzak's journey to name & fame started with the launch of a streaming of simple and small clips on Youtube channel – 'Golden Hyderabadiz' – in 2019. He stole hearts with funny and moral videos in Deccani lingo. Small clips of 15 to 20 minutes went viral over the internet. The numbers of viewers kept leaping and currently hovers over 18 lakh mark – a stupendous feat for any one with humble moorings in the lanes of Old City.

'Golden Hyderabadiz' now proudly sports a 'silver button' from YouTube. Among his popular videos is one on Big Boss in the Hyderabadi dialect. Razzak and his team showcased how the Big Boss show can be if it is made in the Hyderabadi language. This video was entertainment-packed which left many in splits!

Razzak shares about his journey, "Right from my childhood, movies have been my passion. While I was in schooling I used to act like Bollywood stars in cultural programmes. After I passed out intermediate with a good percentage, like every other parent wishing to make their children engineers or doctors, Abba (Razzak's father) also decided to make me an engineer." Abba vetoed his desire to join an arts college and admitted into an engineering college instead. While in his college, he heard about the oldest acting school in the city, 'Koshish Theatre' which is located at Charminar.

"I would bunk my classes to learn acting. Two years later, our theatre group participated in a theatre festival. We were the only group to present 'Deccani' act at the festival. Luckily, the entire audience loved it and they were laughing a lot at my Hyderabadi jokes. My photo was published in all Urdu newspapers of Hyderabad. That was the beginning of a serious pursuit of my passion to regale audience in with our own culture and language."

He soon hit upon the idea of reaching out to the global stage and thus was born 'Golden Hyderabadis.' One day it got him a call from Bollywood director Mukesh Chabbra who was looking for Hyderabadi actors and came across his channel. Razzak presented his comedy script Deccan style and "they loved it and invited me and Mogambo (Azeez Rizwan), Jangi Bajra (Sayeed Bhai) to Rajasthan for Laal Kaptaan."

After the Bollywood stint, he continued making videos for the which he received a large number of viewership, "Then I got one more chance to work as a key role in Shootout at Alair, a web series on Zee 5," he said. He said speedy response to his channel made his realise there are millions out there, ready to relish Deccani lingo movies should one venture into it.

Among the videos that have gone viral are: Exam Ki Gicchi, a conversation prank, Education for Sale, The Date (on a scooter), and several others. His videos are tinged with an underlying social message. Notable are comedies like Chotu on child labor and domestic violence, Sadqa (donation) on loans.

Honing his skills in acting, directing, story writing, and dialogue writing, this Hyderabadi wants to do something for Deccani comedy which catapulted him to good fame. "Typical Hyderabadi culture is known for Deccani comedy. But I want to make movies and web series in all genres like love and action. I aim to see on all OTT platforms like Aha, Hotstar, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and also in cinema halls one day," he signs off.