A Twitter user from Bengaluru recently shared a thread on the social media platform about a conversation he had with a Rapido rider who came to pick him up. The rider, Vignesh Nagabusanam is also a videographer and an acclaimed short film-maker. The Twitter user, Parag Jain, wrote, “Had Mixed @Peakbengaluru movement. Rapido rider came to pick up at WeWork. During the ride, he asked me ‘On which floor are you working?’ After giving him an Intro, and asked if he has been in WeWork, he replied ‘Sir, Two years back I use to work in the same building’ (sic).” The post has nearly 3,000 likes and 530 retweets as of now.
The Tweets further revealed that Vignesh used to work for a Chinese company in the building which shut down after India banned several Chinese apps in March 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was unable to find a new job. He decided to follow his dream of filmmaking and directed a mini-series. The series went on to receive critical acclaim, winning nearly 15 film festivals. The project also garnered interest from some OTT platforms but Vignesh had to reject the offers due to financial constraints.
After 2 years of struggle and financial instability, Vignesh took to riding Rapido as a part-time job. Parag added that the filmmaker hasn’t told his mother about the job as he doesn’t want her to worry. He also shared Vignesh’s business card and urged Twitter users to connect with him if they have any videography projects.
Many Twitter users reacted to the thread of tweets. A user wrote, “@rapidobikeapp pls give some recognition for these talents. At least do some useful promotion adds from him (sic).” Another user wrote, “I think his story is short film worthy too (sic). ”