There are some of us who lead our lives in a run-of-the-mill manner, the highlights of it being pursuing education and then landing a job. But there are a few who break conventions and get driven solely by their passion. They always stand out of the crowd and remain unfazed by any criticism or discouragement that comes their way. Such is the story of Ravi Sagar, an aspiring actor from Bareilly who took his first step towards stardom through short video platform Likee, as he has touched the milestone of being the creator with as many as 38.9 million fans.

However, the journey to this milestone had never been an easy one for Ravi. Hailing from a humble background, getting a mobile phone was also a thing of luxury for him till sometime back. But with consistent persuasion, he managed to convince his parents and get his own cellphone. This turned out to be a boon for him, as just days later the entertainer discovered the world of Likee and started creating videos.

`When I started making videos, people of my village made fun of me. Everyone discouraged me by saying that making videos would not help in any way,` recalls Ravi, who then found his companion in his parents who not just stood by his side but gave him all the support and encouragement he needed to take on the disheartening comments. He adds, `They (my parents) spoke for me and supported me, because they had confidence in me.`

The other challenge that Ravi faced was making videos that were different from those already being created on Likee. However, he soon overcame the obstacle and came up with concepts that were different in nature. In his videos, Ravi started portraying different characters - a mentally challenged person, a woman showcasing dancing skills etc. Owing to the variety in his videos, his fan base on Likee witnessed a surge and he went on to become one of the most followed creators on the platform. `I followed my instincts and inner spirit so that I could play each character with ease and finesse,` says the Liker.

It got even better when Ravi started supporting his family financially through part-time earning while using Likee for video creation. He also leveraged the gifts received through his live sessions to enable some additional income for himself and his family.

The icing on the cake was the verification of his profile by Likee. Ravi says that he had never imagined that he would earn so much respect and love through Likee, and that his family is equally thrilled with his achievements. Though this is just the beginning of a stellar journey for the acting enthusiast, but as they say, 'well begun is half done'.