Niharika NM (Forbes Asia 30 under 30, 2022), is an Indian digital content creator, who gained
significant recognition for her humorous and relatable Instagram reels, which quickly made
waves in the Instagram community. Additionally, she has represented India twice in a row as
the only solo creator to serve as a global ambassador for Creators for Change, a YouTube
initiative that leverages the influence of creators to raise awareness and engage audiences on
important social issues.
Born in Chennai and brought up in Bengaluru, Niharika’s taste in comedy is extremely diverse.
She counts everyone from Jim Carrey to Rowan Atkinson and Brahmanandam to Vadivelu, as
well as Vivek, Santhanam and Vennela Kishore among her inspirations. “If all else fails, I turn to
my friends and family because they’re all absolute clowns,'' she says. True to this, her content
often references them, especially her parents, whom she describes as “very traditional but also
cool at the same time”. Through her childhood, they captured her innate humour on video and
are therefore very used to it.
An engineer who recently finished her MBA in the USA while juggling digital content
creation, Niharika has immense love for theatre. Having been introduced to YouTube when
she was in Class 10, it was nearly three years later that she started expressing herself on
the Internet through her videos. Niharika's journey to amassing a million followers is now a
case study at Chapman University, California, where she was pursuing her MBA.
Niharika is the first ever creator to collaborate with Rocking Star Yash and Mahesh Babu
and mark their debut on Reels along with Singer-Songwriter and Musician- Prateek Kuhad,
Priyanka Chopra, Vijay Devarakonda, Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, among others.
Niharika also won the Youth Icon - Entertainer of the Year at the World Influencers and
Bloggers Awards (WIBA) at Cannes 2022, making her one of the few Indian content creators
to do so. She also made her TV debut on the finale episode of Koffee with Karan alongside
creators like Tanmay Bhatt, Kusha Kapila and Danish Sait.
Niharika NM has transitioned from being an entertainment creator to a fashion icon, earning
recognition for her impeccable sense of style. Her notable presence in the fashion industry
earned her an invitation to open the show and walk the ramp for designer Sameer Madan at
Lakme Fashion Week 2023, captivating the audience and cementing her strong status in the
fashion world.
Niharika's influence in the fashion industry extends far beyond. She has been invited to
attend exclusive studio launches for esteemed fashion maestros such as Punit Balana,
Gaurav Gupta, and Shantnu & Nikhil. Moreover, she holds the distinction of being the sole
Indian creator to have collaborated with the iconic musician John Legend on a limited-edition
clothing line that was inspired by his unique style and music.
Niharika also marked her second year at the Cannes Film Festival 2023 where she
expressed her support for Indian designers as she exclusively wore ensembles from
Shantnu & Nikhil and displayed her solidarity to Indian craft by attending the premiere of
Anurag Kashyap’s film ‘Kennedy’ along with other premieres.
Recognized as the entertainment and comedy queen, Niharika hosted a Spotify event
‘The Fan Experience’ for the critically acclaimed film 'Rocky aur Rani ki Prem Kahaani'
with special appearances by Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt. Adding more feathers to her
wings, Niharika NM was also featured on the cover of the inaugural issue of The Word
Magazine.
