Saranghae — if you have a Gen-Z sibling at home, you know what this means. Or maybe while travelling on the metro, you have heard the hushed discussion of two college-going girls about whether they should watch “Queen of Tears” next or “Lovely Runner”. And how can we miss the ‘BTS’ craze and how the K-pop music stars have been topping all the charts? The Korean wave has made its presence known far and wide, and we are here for it. (Don’t say you have not visited those Korean convenience stores that offer a range of Korean snacks and noodles that have popped up everywhere.) While the world was not really alienated from Korean entertainment, it was actually the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic that influenced the generation of both old and young to get hooked on this cultural transmission through entertainment and ride the wave.

Popular culture has always transcended the loops of time and place, engaged with people through various forms of media, and influenced how communication, culture and society work. Pop culture truly has the capability to shape how individuals think, their values and their interests. Even that dress you saw your favourite celebrity wearing that has ended up making you look for a copy on different e-commerce sites to Instagram, influencing your choices of web series to watch, pop culture makes you aware and conscious of everything that is going on globally, establishing a sense of interconnectedness. And, when it comes to India and the diverse hues of culture and tradition imbibed within us, this nation has been a great and consistent receiver of pop culture.

Hence, the question arises: is it on the contributing side as well? Trying to find answers, The Statesman got into a conversation with Taufiq Khan, the owner of WOLF BREAD, who is on a mission to redefine the pop culture sensation and whose recent debut music video has garnered more than a million views.

What do you think is the role of social media platforms in getting the Indian audience acclimated to the sensation that we know as pop culture?

This is not just for the Indian audience; social media is at its peak right now. Today, my brand, WOLF BREAD, wouldn’t be where it is now if not for social media. With so many podcasts, fashion brands that are coming up, most of them have no physical retail brands yet are doing exceptionally well, all thanks to social media platforms. Many are working from their home, their basement, or maybe a warehouse, and they are just booming. So I wouldn’t just restrict myself to the Indian audience, but I would say pop culture wouldn’t be where it is if not for social media.

What influence do you think pop culture holds in the lives of Indian youth?

Movies, music, and fashion are the three pillars of pop culture, and a lot of the youth relate to the sensation that we know as pop culture through music like hip-hop and much more. The ways indie artists in India dress and the influence that their clothing has on their fans show that pop culture has already entered the lives of Indian youth. Let’s, for example, take streetwear, which is comparatively new in India but is a complete influence of pop culture.

What role do Indian celebrities and influencers play in shaping and promoting pop culture trends among the youth of India?

Celebrities will only be powerful when a film is a hit and has a touch of pop culture in it. And I would say that with actors like Shah Rukh Khan and Kartik Aryan, we could go really far, but you know the downside: we get comfortable when we reach that 500 crore box office, but it’s important to understand that promoting pop culture trends is equivalent to never getting comfortable. I feel like comfort is the enemy here, and you have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

How do you think pop culture is influencing our nation’s economy? 

Indian pop culture is surely lucrative. Let’s just say that when an SRK movie comes out, it’s not just a hit for him but a hit for the independent artists and everyone related. And I want to emphasise on this that animation films can be lucrative as well; just see the global outreach of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. While the West is at the top of animation and pop culture, for us, it is important not to use it as a means but as an influence and to come up with something that is authentic. Pop culture thrives on brands because it is important to put yourself in the front seat.

What inspired you to come up with WOLF BREAD?

My background comes from filmmaking, and I’ve always been more of a visual filmmaker. And, you know, in a movie, you have backgrounds, dialogues and everything, and that’s when I realised that I was more inclined towards the visual side of storytelling. Music covers 80 per cent of my days, and when I thought of WOLF BREAD, music was booming during 2018, and I just thought, why not combine visual storytelling and music together? During that time, I saw a great disparity in the visual side of music videos between our Indian pop culture artists and the global ones. And I thought this was the best time to revolutionise the way music videos are done in India. WOLF BREAD is an embodiment of me. Our music videos break the boundaries.

How have people been resonating with your creations?

It has been crazy. WOLF BREAD’s inception was in September 2023. I had a watch party while doing the music video launch, and that is an extremely new form of ‘marketing’ to which you would say that many are not well attuned. With animation, our own brand character named Mr WOLF BREAD and such has really helped us build a community. You can compare our videos with several others that are out there. I shot that music video in 2021 and released it in 2023, yet there was no one who had done something like what we have done when it comes to the style or animation involved.

While WOLF BREAD is new, it has truly created a niche for itself by bringing itself forth as the architect of pop culture growth in India. How has the brand incorporated pop culture into the mainstream Indian market? 

After WOLF BREAD’s success with its debut music video, I thought it was time to take the next step, and animation is something that I really love. Several major brands had called up by then, saying that they had never seen animation on such a level and were looking for collaborative opportunities. This slowly helped me enter the mainstream Indian market and also influenced me to open an animation studio. My next project is designer clothing, allowing me to penetrate even deeper into the mainstream Indian market. Good things take time, but we know that what we are offering to the people and brands here will take them to global standards for sure. Originality matters when it comes to your content. India has its own pop culture, whether it be the music or the Bollywood style you see, and my aim was not just to attract the Indian mainstream but also to gain a global outlook. I am telling you that the moment India understands how to brand and sell, we will take over everything!