CHENNAI: Actor Shah Ra has shared a video on social media in the early hours of Wednesday morning speaking about the pressure actors face over their Instagram follower count, and the clip has now gone viral.
Shah Ra, who began his career as a radio jockey, later gained recognition through YouTube channels before entering films. He made his acting debut in 2017 with Maanagaram and Meesaya Murukku. He has appeared in films such as Comali (2019) , Naan Sirithal and Oh My Kadavuley (2020). He was most recently seen in the Atharvaa-starrer Thanal (2025).
In the video posted on his Instagram page, the actor said he was awake at 4 am without sleep and spoke about how people in the film industry now ask about Instagram followers before discussing remuneration.
“Everyone talking about films is asking how many followers you have on Instagram. Only after seeing that, they talk about salary. I don’t know how to grow followers. I don’t have the looks for it. I don’t even like making reels,” he said in the video.
Shah Ra added that he does not know what to do to increase his social media presence and jokingly mentioned that even trying meditation had not helped him find an answer. He ended the video asking followers to share suggestions in the comments if they had any ideas.
The video has received wide attention online, with many users expressing support for the actor and stating that talent should matter more than social media numbers.