This duo always entertains us without hurting anybody's religious sentiments. Such an awesome team these two are. True entertainers who put a smile on our face if it’s comedy and make us dance if it’s their music.

Jordindian is an Indian sketch comedy and YouTube sensation that consists of Naser Al Azzeh and the bespectacled Vineeth "Beep" Kumar. While Naser is from Jordan, Vineeth is from India, south India if you really want to know. Vineeth has interviewed the likes of Shahrukh Khan, A.R. Rahman, Salman Khan, Mika, to name a few, for his former stint as a 9XE tuber, as an associate of the music channel 9XE. The common thread between these two entertainers: the need to make people laugh. 

The duo who can crack you up with their comedy, first achieved fame with their 2018 music video Smoke Shisha Play FIFA. Although the duo has released four subsequent music videos trending widely on YouTube, they have primarily focused on producing comedy sketches which are typically based on youth culture in India or highlighting the differences between their respective cultures.

On 27^th May 2019, they uploaded their second music video Fasting and Furious and it got 400,000 views within 3 hours and their Types of Doctors video earned 1,000,000 views in the first day. Their sketches are mostly centered on South Indian life and their style is a fusion of modern Indian, Jordanian, and Western cultures. They released their third song Exam Time in April 2020 and even through the nationwide lockdown due to the corona virus pandemic affected many, they released a song during the Covid 19 pandemic called Locked up in the Lockdown and late last year they released Eat Sleep Binge Repeat.

You also cannot miss out watching their super southie song Vainko by rapper Vignesh Shivanand aka Brodha V that features the Jordindian in a fab dance riot. The catch phase of the song briefly translates to ‘take it’ in Tamil. You say ‘Vainko’ to someone when you prove them wrong. It is a part of the vocabulary now and the word is now part of a song a sound very South Indian.

The faces behind Jordindian, are today one of the most recognizable names in the Indian YouTube creators’ landscape racking up millions of views on every video. They have put together their love of films, pop culture and hip-hop for the videos they created, and took inspiration from conversations and situations they faced in their day-to-day lives growing up in Bengaluru. Their devoted fan following that grows daily, gets more complicated when they are seen at live shows and make appearances all over the country.

Verus Ferreira spoke to the duo to know more about what makes them what they are, what really gets that insane number of views and makes the duo so popular. Read on to find out:

You guys were college buddies, how did each plan the way to go into comedy and of course how did you guys meet and form Jordindian?

Vineeth: Nas was explaining a Russel Peters joke to his friend, and I (Vineeth), was eavesdropping on them.  "I said yeah, I've heard that joke and that was how we got to talking. We rode back on the bus that evening and realized we are practically neighbors”. And, that’s how we basically met.

So let’s go back in time and tell us what you did before you started Jordindian.

Nas: I was into break dancing and founder of break dancing group Black Ice Crew. I was doing a course in HR management; Vineeth was into hip-hop beat boxing and was working in television production. One day, we decided to try making a video together, just to see if it would work. Vineeth, however, was skeptical that the idea for Jordindian would take off. Even though my dad is from Jordan, I grew up mostly in India and we both have a Bangalorean mentality. 

Vineeth: I was visiting Bengaluru on weekends back then. The other reason was that the kind of content they wanted to do was not the kind of content that was consumed in India. I thought the content would not work unless time was dedicated, which wasn’t possible at the time.

Nas: I was the optimistic one and somehow convinced Vineeth to get on board. After the fifth video together, we hit one-lakh views in just two days. After that, Vineeth quit his job and came back to Bangalore full time.

Where do you get your ideas from?

Vineeth: Love for films, pop culture and hip-hop. We take inspiration from conversations and situations we faced in our day-to-day lives growing up in Bengaluru.

There could be instances where someone might take offence to what you say. How do you handle it?

Vineeth: We generally try our best to ignore negative responses. Sometimes it’s hard to oversee them and if it really gets to us, we try to respond to the negativity with something witty.

What was your parents’ response to what you guys were doing?

Vineeth: Initially they were skeptical about what we were doing. They felt that it wasn’t lucrative enough and insisted on getting a job. But after two years of us being content creators, they realized that this is what we love to do and this is our job.

From your friends circle were they too happy with the videos you were making?

Vineeth: When we first started making videos, our friends were very supportive and happy that we were making content that they could watch and relate to. Sometimes, we even take inspiration from our friends in our characters that we portray. They’ve been extremely supportive throughout our journey.

You also did a few music videos. Can you tell us something about it?

Nas: We’ve done many actually. So like Exam Time is a parody of the exam fever among kids and the song depicts what every kid goes through, featuring characters who imitate Einstein, Newton, Hitler and many more. The idea is not to show exams in a bad light. The two kids in the video are like every child who going through the pressure of exams.

There is a short shelf life for something that you are doing, how would you handle that?

Vineeth: We are aware that we have a shelf life. But we don't get scared of it. Because we take our ideas from our experiences, we always keep getting them. And, whether we like it or not, our videos are relatable to everyone.

With a large presence on social media, is there anyone special in your lives?

Nas: Our family and friends have always been special to us from the start. Irrespective of us being anything, they’ve always believed is us and had our backs. And of course, our fans. They’re the number one reason why we do what we do. They’ve given us a responsibility to entertain and we thank them for that.

Have you collaborated with many other Youtubers?

Nas: Yes, quite a few artists such Lily Singh, Brodha V, and Niharika NM, a Bengaluru-based YouTuber who is a recurring character in their videos.

Tell us about your association with Breezer Vivid Shuffle that happened early year. How was your experience as a league ambassador?

Vineeth: As league ambassador for Breezer Vivid Shuffle’s fourth season, we got to lead and mentor a team of aspiring hip-hop artists and it was incredible. Especially, as this year it transformed into India’s biggest hip-hop league from being the biggest hip-hop dance festival in the country, which meant graffiti and rap artists also got a platform to showcase their talent. And it even opened up the doors to artists across all nooks and corners of the country, in its first-ever virtual avatar.

Nas: It was truly an opportunity to Live Life in Colour for us, the participants and the audiences, with all the engagement avenues while streaming. It truly brought the hip-hop community together and enabled to showcase talent despite the challenges this year.

What is your opinion about Indian comedy?

Vineeth: India has a rich comedy culture which is only getting better with time. From the movies to the digital content, India’s level of comedy from our perspective is world class.

What do you plan to do for the future in 2021?

Nas: Take each day as it comes. We’re going to continue to do what we do and have fun with it.  Hopefully put out a lot more content, music videos, sketches and whatever else we can offer to the world.

What is your advice to youngsters who want to take up to comedy?

Nas: If we had to give advice to other, newer artists, we’d say, “If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong.”

Interviewed by Verus Ferreira