Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; May 31, 2020)

There's a price for everything, even birthday wishes. A Mumbai based start-up, GoNuts, finds a novel way to get fans closer to their favourite stars. The platform opened avenues for fans to receive personalised greetings in the form of video shoutouts from celebrities; garnered at a pocket-friendly price.

"The pricing starts from Rs 1,000 for a lookalike," informs Vinamra Pandiya, founder, GoNuts adding, "Rates fluctuate depending on the popularity of the artiste. If you want someone like Shankar Mahadevan, [the shoutout would be priced] at Rs 30,000. Singers gain more popularity because they sing too."

"For a personal video message from artistes like Shaan, the cost is about Rs 15,000 per video plus taxes," says Pandiya adding that every star would take 70 per cent cut per video. Pandiya adds, "We are targeting one genre at a time. We have begun with music because it has a huge fan base. The idea is to use a celebrity as a medium to convey your feelings to amplify the message. It can be for an anniversary, birthday or any milestone in your life."'

The most trending personality on the platform has been the lookalike of Donald Trump. He says, "The lookalike of Donald Trump is one of the best-selling creatives as it is laced with humour." The platform has a portfolio of over 200 celebrities across fields, including Salim Merchant, Sivamani, Jonty Rhodes, Lance Klusener, Gaurav Biduri, The Phogat sisters, among others.