It is said that different perspectives lead to the best ideas. Anyone who knows Kasun Gunasekara popularly known as Kalu Malli, would agree to the above because he is someone who has always taken a different yet an interesting angle whenever he makes videos. Being a YouTuber, Kalu Malli has his own unique fan base. While talking to Young Voice he said that he has always liked making videos. It’s his hobby and he wishes to keep it that way.
“I do not make videos for likes, views or shares. I make them because I love doing it. For anyone who is willing to make videos, my advice would be, keep making videos and keep being creative. Do not worry about whether those are good or not. With time you will be better and you will have your own audience.”
Revealing as to how he started making videos, Kalu Malli said that in 2005 one of his friends got a Nokia 6600 which was a camera phone. From that they started making videos. He says that they did not upload the videos they made but kept on making more videos basing those on various ideas they got.
“Then we edited them on the computer. The only video editing tool we had was the Windows Movie Maker. That is how I learnt to make videos. It is more like trial and error. Then I started liking the technology, features of the apps and software to make videos and started exploring it more whenever time permits. All these happened while I was schooling. I had to allocate time for my studies and then for my hobby of making videos. I kept making videos when I got an idea which I thought as video-worthy,” he said.
After graduating from IIT as a Software Engineer, he had two career opportunities. One at a media company to join as a Content Creator and the other job opportunity was at a Tech company as a Software Engineer. “I chose the tech company and I am glad I did. Had I joined the media company I do not think I will still be making videos like I do. Because I want my hobby to remain as my hobby and I do not wish to make it my career. Whenever I need time off from my job I can make videos and enjoy my hobby.”
According to Kalu Malli, during the time where he was studying for his degree he has posted his videos on his personal Facebook profile and people used to like, comment and share but those videos did not really become that popular.
“When I was finishing my degree, I did “Shanudrie’s Manawalage Dubsmash Parody” video and it went viral. This was not something I expected. That too I uploaded to my personal Facebook profile. A lot of sites shared it and it became really popular. Then everyone said that I should make a separate Facebook page for my videos. The name, which is known to many, Kalu Malli came after that. Before the channel, Kalu Malli, I already had a YouTube chanel under my name Kasun Gunasekara on which I have posted the videos which I have made earlier.”
Talking about how the name Kalu Malli came to be, Kasun mentioned that it was what his school friends used to call him. Later he thought of using that for the YouTube channel, Kalu Malli. He said that after the Dubsmash video went viral he thought of making a YouTube channel with the name Kalu Malli since he wanted people to know him from the videos and also to put all the videos in one channel. “The first video I did as Kalu Malli was the Sinhala version of Misheard Sinhala lyrics. a collection of tweets. Later I did a Misheard Lyrics English version too and up to date that is my highest viewed video.”
At the moment, Kalu Malli has 10,000 subscribers on YouTube, on Facebook 30,000 and 8,000 followers on Twitter.
He is a singer too and he is part of the band, “Akunu.” According to Kalu Malli, the band was formed when they participated at a talent show held at their University which they won. “Our band does not play at commercial events and we have not thought about it yet. However we play at events if we receive an invitation and that is free of charge.”
When asked whether he plans his videos before shooting, he said that he does not plan it completely but has a rough idea as to how he wants the video to start, end and what the in between shots should be, especially when shooting a Vlog. Because he does want to force his way of thinking and the creativity that comes while shooting the shots. Recalling some of the awkward moments he faced when he started off, he said. “When making videos you have to talk to the camera. So in the beginning I found it a bit weird talking to the camera while people were watching me talking like that. But with time I got used to it and now the thought of people watching me does not even occur to me.”
Expressing his opinion about how uncertain it is whether a video would go viral or not, Kalu Malli said, “There have been videos for which I have put very little effort but went viral unexpectedly. There are videos for which I have put my 100 percent but did not get the response I expected from the crowd. I think it’s the luck of the draw. You can not specifically say that this video will go viral and the other one won’t.”
When concluding the interview, Kalu Malli mentioned that people can make money from YouTube in two ways. You either create content which attract at least one million views or create your own audience and then get recognised for them. “I think, for us the smarter choice would be the latter. Because the industry is not yet developed in the country as it is in other parts of the world. For example once you create your own brand then you will get plenty of opportunities to show your creativity and also to earn some money. Also only make videos if you really enjoy making them. Otherwise don’t. Do not force it. You will find your path if you do it correctly. I can guarantee you that.”