Let’s begin with a bold, possibly brain-damaging statement:
Your willingness to do stupid things may actually determine how far you go in life.
Sounds dumb, right? Like something a college dropout uncle might say while swirling his tea at an Irani café. But let that sink in for a moment. Really think about it.
We’ve all been raised in the great Indian syllabus of “play safe, study well, never embarrass the family WhatsApp group.” We’re told to do the smart thing, the dignified thing, the thing that makes Maama and Paapa proud. But here’s the irony: the world doesn’t reward “smart.” It rewards “seen.” And being seen sometimes needs you to look… well, slightly ridiculous.
Take a stroll through Instagram Reels and look at what’s popping:
People doing seemingly dumb things like lip-syncing to old Govinda songs while wearing their grandmother’s curtain as a dupatta. Dancing with their dogs. Heck, they even get their spouses to join this madness these days.
Why? Because cringe is currency. And the masses—God bless their attention spans—lap it up like free biriyani on a Sunday.
Here you are, pouring your soul into a heartfelt poetry video about existential dread and personal growth, and it gets seven views, five of which are you checking if it’s still stuck at seven.
Meanwhile, some guy does the “Kacha Badam” dance half-naked on a scooter and goes viral, lands a brand deal, and is invited to Bigg Boss.
Welcome to the game of Mass Approval!
The trick here isn’t to abandon your values or become a sellout. No, no. Keep your moral compass safe and sound in your kurta pocket. But if you want to swim in the popularity pool, you’re gonna have to occasionally jump in wearing floaties shaped like cartoon ducks.
So many of those Shakti Kapoor dialogues form the David Dhawan era were hugely famous back in the day. I bet none of them talk like that in real life. It’s a game. You play the game.
Let’s not even get started on the fact that we, the same people who worshipped every dialogue of “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai,” now meme it to death. Because in hindsight, it was 100% cringeworthy. But at that time, we were the masses. And that cringe was gold.
So if you’re trying to break through—whether it’s a podcast, a start-up, or just posting your masala dosa review on YouTube—don’t be afraid to look a little stupid.
In fact, stupidity is a form of bravery. It’s sticking your neck out when everyone else is pretending to be classy and cool. It’s making that goofy reel, writing that corny line, trying that weird thing, and owning the hell out of it. It’s understanding that the masses don’t want “unique.” They want “relatable” + “weird” + “easy to consume in under 60 seconds.”
And if that’s the road you want to walk—the road to popularity, numbers, validation, and a strange sense of mass-approval happiness—then yes, you’ll have to get a little ridiculous along the way.
But hey, once you ride the cringe wave to the shore, you can always sit back, build something meaningful, and then act all classy again.
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