Behind the photo: How influencers struggle to get the perfect frame at Mahakumbh

The social media opportunity of a lifetime—the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj, which happens once in 144 years—has turned out to be a difficult one for the teeming army of ‘influencers’ to convey footage from, especially when it comes to commercial videos shot for brands.

Difficult on-ground conditions, betting on pure luck in capturing perfect frames, and handling demanding brands divorced from reality have resulted in back-breaking effort for not enough return.

Vivid images and posts from the world’s largest spiritual gathering at the confluence of three rivers—Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati—have taken social media by storm. Nearly 12 million posts from more than 50,000 creators were spotted by influencer marketing intelligence platform Qoruz in the month through 12 February, the bulk of which (9.1 million) were on Instagram.

Of these, 3,362 posts on Instagram were sponsored by brands, including Reliance’s Campa, banking giant State Bank of India (SBI), and ITC’s snack brand Bingo.

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The extreme hustle, bustle and jostle in the mela have hit not just pilgrims, but the influencers trying to chronicle the event and earn a buck as well. To add to their woes, after a stampede on 29 January left more than 30 people dead and 60 injured, several big brands that had approached marketing agencies for campaigns withdrew their queries, an executive at a digital marketing agency told Mint.

For those who have stuck around, steering through the crowds on foot to shoot their content and navigating demands of brands that are often unrealistic, it has hardly been a cakewalk.

Take Aman Srivastava from Prayagraj, for instance. Srivastava, who shoots reels for commercial videos around Kumbhmela for a measly ₹2,000-3,000 each, told Mint that he and his team of six perch themselves at the Ghats at midnight to get perfectly framed shots of the morning prayer.

“In the crowded pathways, if people walk in and ruin the frame, we have to shoot again and again,” he said. “As walking from one point to the other is also time consuming, we miss some perfect shots. But that can’t be the case with the morning Ganga Arti. To fulfil our deliverables, we need a perfect shot of it at once.”

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At the same time, brands that are often headquartered in metro cities often have requirements that are difficult to fulfil on the ground. Citing the example of a dishwashing bar brand, he explained how his team was unable to shoot videos of a sponsored ‘bhandara’ (food distribution) that the brand required for its campaign due to lack of permission.

Then, some brands want their content to be delivered on very short timelines. “Early bird catches the worm, so brands have a high focus on getting their videos out as early as possible, especially on significant days like makar sankranti, paush purnima, and basant panchmi, which draw greater attention and traction,” said Rachit Sharma, head of strategy and brand solutions at Qoruz, who worked on a campaign around Mahakumbh with consumer brand ITC.

Further, some brands don’t want to pay top dollar for the footage. Janhvi Singh, a 21-year-old Delhi based creator who covered Kumbh extensively, said that with several creators for brands to pick and choose from, “our power to negotiate good deals at our usual rates has also declined, and we have to settle for less in fear of losing out the deal to a rookie creator”.

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She added that some brands are initially very keen and reach out for campaigns, but the energy fizzles out soon enough and they stop responding actively, making communication and coordination difficult for creators here.

“Moreover, payment issues are something most creators are frequently facing,” she said. “The rate has taken a 30% dip recently, while some brands are attempting to negotiate at an 80% lower price, especially during Kumbh, and dealing with such brands is a task.”

The tussle between large and smaller creators to bag good brand deals mostly leaves the smaller ones grabbing thin air. Smaller creators complain that they are unable to sustain themselves amid competition from bigger creators due to smaller pay.

“Creators with over 100,000 followers bag most deals around Kumbh, and there aren’t many paid opportunities for nano and micro creators,” said Vaishali Srivastava, a beauty and lifestyle creator from Prayagraj. She also raised the concern that most brands approach them for barter collaborations, with no monetary compensation.

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