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www.asianexpress.co.uk
Local
Interview with
YouTube’s celebrity brothers
With more than two million YouTube views and 15,000 subscribers, brothers Ali and Shaheen Shahalom truly are internet stars. The cheeky chappies from London host their own channel on the video sharing website and have
October 2013 - 3rd Edition
attracted visitors from all around the world as they act out their comical sketches. The pair often relate back to their Bengali heritage and have subsequently attracted a large South-Asian following, yet the
humour in every sketch can tickle anyone, regardless of background. Catching up with the Asian Express, Ali spoke about the brothers rise to fame and how lucky he is to have a sibling like Shaheen.
Brothers Ali and Shaheen Shahalom have risen to fame following their hit YouTube channel
By Ashley Grint ashley@asianexpress.co.uk
Q. Why did you decide to make these videos? A. I've always been a creative person. Doing Drama & Theater at GCSE and A-level gave birth to this passion of playing around with different characters and improvisational acting. Additionally, I used to love making random videos on my phone or my laptop of me and my friends just messing around. When I first discovered YouTube, it seemed like the perfect platform to combine these two interests. Eventually, that's exactly what happened. My little brother and I have always been close, so he naturally became my comedy partner. Q. What was the initial response? A. I think people genuinely liked the idea of two brothers bonding so well and there aren't many sibling partners on YouTube. Furthermore, having a British-Bangladeshi ethnicity, I noticed there wasn't really much content on YouTube catering for that demographic. So we also made comedy videos conduced from Bengali culture and
Ali Official these sketches are some of the most viewed videos on our channel. All these things gave us unique selling points, creating a positive and popular response. Q. What do you enjoy most about making your videos? A. For me, making someone laugh or smile brings me so much happiness. To be able to do that to someone through our YouTube videos is such a wonderful feeling. We've also been fortunate enough to support various campaigns and charities through the work we do. To be able to help others in need, through something you love doing is also such a rewarding feeling. Q. What’s it like working with your brother? Sibling rivalry? A. Working with my little brother
feels so normal. How we are oncamera is exactly how we are offcamera, which makes filming very comfortable for both of us. I'm fully aware that a lot of siblings don't get along or have indifferences. However, my little brother and I seem to defy that notion. I'm not quite sure why were so close, but we get along so well and have so much love for each other. There isn't really any rivalry, but there's plenty of teasing and messing
around. Q. Finally…What are some of the best comments you have ever received? A. To me every comment or tweet or e- mail means something different. The fact that people think we're even worthy to be watched is a crazy feeling, especially when those figures have now surpassed into the millions. If I had to choose though, I think it's the emotionaldriven ones that really strike a chord
with me. Every now and then, I’ll receive a message expressing how someone has been through some sort of stress or trauma, but our videos have helped them through it. Just being able to brighten someone's day up for a split moment, is such a euphoric feeling. I'm incredibly grateful for all the nice comments and all the support and I hope people can continue to offer their love and respect.
Check out the hit YouTube channel here:
www.youtube.com/AliOfficial1