‘I LOVE MY HINDI, IT’S A PART OF ME’
As we inch towards the end of the year, Orry looks back at 2023, a year that made him a pap favourite and a social media sensation
Monika Rawal Kukreja (HINDUSTAN TIMES; December 25, 2023)

‘I work on myself. I am a liver.’ These lines by Orhan Awatramani aka Orry in his earlier interviews became quite famous. And they continue to define his personality. A social media sensation, a global fashion influencer and Bollywood’s Gen-Z BFF, Orry just came, smiled, posed, got papped and became the most talked-about person on social media. So, it’d be right to say that 2023 saw him everywhere — from parties, events and award shows to pap pages and all over Instagram. As we settle down for a chat during Orry’s recent visit to Delhi on a chilly afternoon, he reflects on the year.

Ask if he agrees that he got more than what he expected in terms of all the love and fandom that came his way, and the 24-year-old says, “I wouldn’t say the year has been more than what I expected. I wouldn’t say less either. I had no expectations. And when you expect nothing, anything you get is something. I didn’t go out and give that ‘Work on myself interview’ thinking that, ‘Oh, I’ve to say it and it’ll go viral’. And then that ‘liver’ interview happened. But that was just me being me and talking the way I talk.”

But Orry had become a pap favourite even before those interviews happened. While many celebs tip off the paparazzi about their whereabouts these days and then act surprised on spotting them at the airport or outside the gym, Orry feels there’s nothing wrong in calling them. He admits having done that so many times.

“Firstly, I have a giant blue Mercedes G Wagon, which is really hard to miss,” he says, adding, “I don’t need to call the paps if I’m at a restaurant or if I’m pulling up. But I’m not going to lie. Have I called them before? Of course I have.”

He continues, “If I like my outfit, I’m looking great and I want to get pictured, I’d call them. Also, whether you call them or not, at some point, you’re going to get clicked. So, I don’t feel any shame in calling them. If I’m going for a party, I’d rather get photographed entering when I’m looking lovely, rather than when I’m exiting — sweaty, wasted or drunk like a troll walking out of the restaurant. Having said that, 99% of the time, I haven’t called them.”

‘Trolls don’t get to me’
“When you make a public profile, you make yourself a personality; you’ve given up the right to privacy. You can’t then complain that people are making fun of you. So, when I see young guys making videos and content on me, it’s hilarious, I find it very creative, and I often meet them for pictures.”

Orry seems to be loving the mystery around him — nobody really knows what he does for a living or which school and college he attended. This is because he hasn’t ever spoken about it in public. When we ask him about his profession, he reiterates what he’s always said: “I am a liver. I’ve studied everywhere — in Tamil Nadu, Mumbai, New York, London. My education is from the school of life, and my experience is my education.”

‘Living multiple lives in 24 hours’
Nobody knew of or had seen Orry until a year ago. From being away from the public eye to now being papped as often (perhaps more) than a Bollywood actor — does he enjoy the attention he’s been getting? “I travel a lot. So every time any attention goes up a little bit [in that city], I’ve left it. This time, I’ve been in Mumbai for a long time. So, things picked up,” says Orry, adding, “I feel like I have way more hours in a day than anybody else. Just within a 24-hour span, I’m living multiple lives.”

The curious case of phone cases
Not just Orry, his mobile covers grab equal attention on the internet. The frog cover, banana case, sunny side up and the famous cockroach case, his quirky collection is hard to miss. He reveals how it all started: “I have a friend in London, and he said he was going to pick new covers for me. I told him to send me options of cases that will make headlines. So, it started off as a joke. Now, he has become the phone case-stylist. The phone has a manager and will probably soon have an Insta page!”

‘Bigg Boss was not at all planned’
Orry’s short stint on Bigg Boss 17 took everyone by surprise, and many assumed that’s what all the hype had been for. He, however, dismisses this assumption. “Bigg Boss had offered me to be a contestant so many times over the years. In fact, I have a videotape that I made for the reality show about eight years ago; it’s a ‘Who is Orry’ video. One day, I might just leak it,” he laughs, but maintains that he’d never go as a contestant. “I don’t have the time. So, when they approached me for this one episode, and wanted me to go there as a prank, I didn’t see a reason to not agree. I didn’t even tell my parents I was going on that show,” he says.

‘I love my Hindi’
Soon after that one episode with host, actor Salman Khan went viral, Orry’s Hindi became the talking point, with some even trolling him for not being fluent in the language. Stating that he’s not obligated to please anyone, Orry tells us, “I’ll say what I want to. Yes, no one had heard me talk (before Bigg Boss), I don’t speak much and I don’t speak live. But, I went all out [in the show]. I said, ‘It’s a challenge and I will speak live, and in Hindi’. It is not my best language, but I did it to my best. I love my Hindi.’

Rs. 20-30 lakh a night just for selfies?
One of the most interesting revelations Orry made on the show was that he makes Rs. 20-30 lakh a night to take selfies with people at a party. He explains how that works: “I charge this amount as the cover fee for an event. When you invite me to your party, you’re not getting a performer. You’re getting a celebrity. Orry has come as a friend. I’ll come, stay for the whole party or till when I decide to leave, meet everyone as if I’m your friend and take pictures with guests. So, I’m not charging Rs. 20 lakh for selfies, it’s for that night. You bought into the concept of Orry being at your party.”
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I can charge between Rs. 20 to 30 lakh a night as the cover fee to attend your event. The difference is that when a celebrity is attending, they’ll come, do their performance and bounce off. That’s not what you’re buying from me. The ‘Orry presence’ is very different.
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My mum asked me to go for Hindi classes, and I said, ‘No, I’ve lived my whole life with this Hindi, and I’m not looking to get into movies that I need to speak shuddh Hindi’. It’s a part of me, I don’t feel the need to change it.