Agu Stanley Chiedozie, a dynamic content creator hailing from Nigeria and currently residing in India, has taken the world of social media by storm with his unique approach to comedy. Leveraging stereotypes associated with Africans to his advantage, he has carved out a distinct niche for himself in the digital entertainment space. In a brief span of time, Agu Stanley has managed to capture the hearts and laughter of a diverse audience in India and beyond. In this week’s Spotlight, we delve into the life, journey, and creative process of Agu Stanley, shedding light on the factors that have contributed to his rapid rise to stardom.
SN: How and when did you learn Hindi? We are sure a lot of people have asked you this.
Agu Stanley: Yes, a lot of people ask me this. I learnt it from the streets, that’s the best way to learn Hindi. My college is in Lucknow and I have many friends who are locals in the city. While hanging out with them, I learnt the language. A very good friend of mine, Uttkarsh, does not speak English and I did not know Hindi, so we bonded over this. Now, he can communicate in English and I can converse in Hindi.
SN: Tell us a little about your journey and how content creation happened.
Agu Stanley: Content creation was coincidental. When I came to India in 2019, I met a few Nigerians who had been living here for some time now but did not know how to speak Hindi. I realised they were facing difficulties communicating because of the language factor. My Nigerian friends asked me not to gel with Indians. I however believed otherwise. I wanted to explore the culture, the traditions, the language and the food. To top it off, I am a social person, so I decided to learn the language.
My familial situation back home is a little difficult so I shared it with a friend. First, he gave me plenty of gaalis because he’s been asking me to get into content creation for a long time now. I did not know if there was scope in it so I did not take it seriously and started making one piece of content in like 2 weeks. Then I made a content, the foodie one, that went viral and I started getting millions of views on this. My phone just wouldn’t stop vibrating. It took about 2 weeks before I came up with another content- the Bhojpuriya Don one. That video got more than 4 million views in 24 hours. That’s how I went viral and now I am here with you guys.
SN: Why did you decide to move to India and how do you feel about the country?
Agu Stanley: My father was doing business in the pharmaceutical line. He wanted me to study B.Pharma and continue with the business. I was not finding any courses in Nigeria, so I started looking at Private universities in India and so I came here in 2019.
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I have met both good and bad people, that’s how it is everywhere. When I moved to India, I was going through a very bad phase and my friends here helped me through it. So my overall experience has been good. I can visit my friend’s houses anytime. I have bonded with their parents too.
SN: Which is your favourite city in India and what are the 3 things you like about it?
Agu Stanley: My favourite city is Lucknow, it is my second home after Nigeria. The three things I like about Lucknow are the different kinds of food, there’s barely any traffic in the city, and the cost of living is low. It’s very cheap and very comfortable, unlike many metropolitan cities. Additionally, I also have all my friends living in Lucknow.
SN: You have collaborated with many creators. How is it meeting different people every day? Do you have any favourites?
Agu Stanley: I don’t have any favourite. I am very easy to work with and I like working with all of whom I have worked with previously. My favourite creators in general, would be from back home because I can relate to them. Here I find it hard to relate to some content but since now I am in the industry, I tend to relate with many creators.
SN: Do you watch Hindi films? Tell us about your favourite film and favourite actor.
Agu Stanley: Yes, 95% of the films I watch now are Hindi. My favourite film is Gangs of Wasseypur. There are three actors that I like- Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Manoj Bajpayee and Pankaj Tripathi. They are the ones who made me love Bollywood. I have also watched one of Anushka Sharma’s movie-NH10 and I loved it very much.
SN: Talking about food preferences, how did you like the Indian food?
Agu Stanley: Since I grew up in Nigeria, there’s nothing like veg and non-veg back there. When I came to India and went to my college mess, there was no non-veg in Amity. I went to the mess for the first time the achaar looked like chicken gravy to me so I just filled my plate with it. Nobody told me what this was and were waiting for me to eat it. I had to swallow the first bite because everybody was looking at me.
Then I found out about Chicken Biryani and had it for two weeks straight but now I am done with it. My all-time favourite now has been Tadka Dal with jeera rice.
SN: Did you face any hurdles while creating content in India?
Agu Stanley: At a point, something happened in college and I could not post content for two months straight. That was a peak time in my career and so my engagement dropped drastically.
I was new in the industry so I was always doing content around gaalis and non-veg content but I ended up in a tough spot because of this and now that I am back, I have stopped doing that kind of content.
SN: In a very short time, you have amassed a good audience. What do you think is your USP?
Agu Stanley: The Hindi-speaking Nigerian thing worked in my favour. There are many stereotypes attached to Africans in general such as we are human eaters, kidnappers, drug dealers and then the kaalu tag. I picked all this up and used this to my advantage. Self-deprecating humour is something that people always find funny. I will always be black and it’s better to accept myself for who I am. So I just pick up the camera and say what I want to say instead of being offended by it.
Speaking to Agu Stanley Chiedozie has been a fun ride. His remarkable humour along with his constant efforts to speak in Hindi has touched our hearts. As he continues to grow his fanbase and make an impact in the world of digital entertainment, one thing is certain: Agu Stanley’s future is as bright and promising as his infectious smile and humour.
