Farhan Israeli/Jaipur
Wazir Mohammad of Jaipur stands 2.5 feet tall and weighs less than 20 kilograms. He suffers from brittle bone disease, which has no cure. The condition is painful, but he has emerged as a popular content creator and digital influencer.
Wazir, 25, battles a severe condition known as Osteogenesis Imperfecta. He says the condition makes his bones as soft and fragile as cotton— they compress when pressed; his bones can twist at the slightest disturbance and even break.
According to doctors, Wazir suffers from a genetic disorder that has no permanent cure. His sister, Khushnuma, also suffers from the same condition.
Wazir Mohammad
This condition is behind his short height and also makes him face severe physical limitations.
But Wazir never viewed himself as helpless or dependent on others. He began creating his own content for Instagram and YouTube. Today, he is a recognised digital creator and celebrity and also lives off it.
Wazir could not attend school due to his condition. His mother, Tasleem Akhtar, worried that he might get injured or break a bone while playing with other children in school. Both siblings received their early education at home.
However, after reaching the eighth grade, Wazir insisted on going to school. He believed that attending school was essential for achieving better grades.
Wazir Mohammad
The school environment turned out to be better than expected. Classmates and teachers embraced Wazir wholeheartedly. Everyone affectionately called him "Ghabru" because of his curly hair. Wazir says no one ever mocked him; in fact, everyone was supportive.
Although some neighbours would pass snide remarks, his family stood by him like a shield. His father, Abrar Mohammad—who was in the jewellery trade—and his brother, Adil Mohammad, always encouraged him.
Wazir moved to Kota for his 10th-grade studies and enrolled in a coaching centre run by his maternal uncle. After his 12th, he attempted the NEET exam.
During this period, he began gaining recognition on social media, making it difficult to balance his studies with video creation.
Wazir says he had two dreams: becoming famous and becoming a doctor. While one dream has largely been realised, the aspiration to become a doctor remains unfulfilled; he intends to enrol in college later to complete his education.
His journey into digital video creation began in 2016 with the 'Musical.ly' app, which later evolved into TikTok. At that time, Wazir did not even own a phone; he used to make videos as a hobby using his cousin Izhar's mobile. Later, when he acquired a smartphone for his studies, Instagram Reels caught his attention.
Wazir Mohammad receiving an award
While he was in the 12th grade, one of his reels featuring a couplet by the renowned poet Rahat Indori went viral, garnering millions of views. That marked the beginning of his rise on social media; his videos began attracting between 10 and 30 million views daily.
In just eight days, his follower count surged from 4,000 to 75,000. Until then, he had been filming videos indoors, and even his neighbours were aware of. Eventually, his brother and cousin began taking him outdoors to shoot videos.
Handling sudden success was no easy task. Wazir readily admits that the fame he achieved at a young age led to an unintentional sense of arrogance. Amidst this, a promotional video of his received a 'strike' for violating Instagram's community guidelines.
Consequently, his account's reach—which had once touched the 100-million mark—plummeted rapidly.
The period between 2022 and 2023 was particularly challenging for him. His follower count dropped sharply from 75,000 to 45,000. Yet, Wazir did not lose heart. He believes that one moves forward in life only by acknowledging one's mistakes. Instead of giving up, he continued working relentlessly for nearly a year and a half.
Old friends stood by him during these difficult times. Through his friend Zeeshan, he met fellow creator Saqib, and the two began collaborating on content. Gradually, the strike was lifted from his account, his videos began going viral again, and his follower count crossed the 100,000 mark.
Today, Wazir Mohammad is invited to major events as a celebrity guest. He was honoured with the 'Jaipur Best Creator Award 2023' at the Birla Auditorium in Jaipur.
His name is in the 'Influencer Book of World Records.' Recently, he attended an energy drink event in Ghaziabad as the chief guest, where he felicitated the winners of a dance competition. Additionally, he participated in an official Snapchat creator meetup held in Jaipur.
Currently, Wazir has over 350,000 followers on Instagram, 100,000 on Facebook, and 13,000 on YouTube. He has created between 500 and 600 videos so far, each averaging between 500,000 and a million views.
He produces a wide range of content, including action, drama, comedy, and emotional storytelling. He shoots using his mobile phone and handles the editing himself. His sister-in-law, Fahreen, assists him with shooting videos at home.
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Wazir believes that his hard work is setting an example for others. He now has his sights set on major reality shows like Bigg Boss and Bollywood. "The bigger you dream, the greater your achievements will be. Never think that the journey ends here."