How an Indian student earned ₹80,000 a month from foreign clients - until 'CarryMinati's feature' exposed him

A viral LinkedIn post by Shirsh Bajpai, co-founder of AevyTV, has sparked an online debate after he revealed that he once pretended to be from the Netherlands to secure international freelance work.

Bajpai said he started freelancing at the age of 17 and quickly realized that being identified as an Indian creator often made it difficult to attract foreign clients. According to him, some applicants refused to work with him after learning where he was from, while others made racist remarks.

“At 17 I pretended to be a boy from the Netherlands so that foreign clients would pay me. It worked. I produced ₹80,000 per month, as a teenager,” he wrote.

Adopting a new online identity

To overcome what he perceived as bias, Bajpai said he created a completely different online persona. He changed his name, claimed to be based in the Netherlands and produced videos using what he described as a heavy American accent.

According to him, the change had an immediate impact. Clients who previously showed little interest suddenly became more receptive, even though the quality of his work remained exactly the same.

As demand grew, Bajpai started earning in US dollars rather than Indian rupees. He revealed that during 2017-18 he charged more than $50 per thumbnail design. Since each task usually took 20 to 40 minutes to complete, the job allowed him to earn nearly ₹80,000 per month while still in college.

How he found clients

Bajpai explained that his strategy for getting clients early was surprisingly simple. He created a large collage of samples of his work and sent it out to many people on Twitter.

Reflecting on these efforts, he said he was effectively practicing cold terrain before he even knew what “cold DM” meant.

Eventually, maintaining a fictitious identity became difficult. Bajpai recalled that the truth began to emerge after popular YouTuber CarryMinati introduced his channel at a time when both creators had just a few hundred subscribers.

The exhibition attracted the attention of viewers who asked why the Indian creator spoke with a foreign accent. According to Bajpai, the scrutiny has intensified to the point that he has asked for the removal of the post.

Looking back, he said it was ironic that the same accent that helped him win foreign business also attracted criticism from audiences in India.

‘It’s funny how often perception gets you the first chance’

Despite the false start, Bajpai claimed that the invented identity only helped him secure initial opportunities. What kept clients, he claimed, was the quality of the work done.

His account was met with many social media users who saw it as proof that perception often affects opportunities before talent is evaluated.

“It’s funny how often perception gets you the first chance, but competence is what keeps it going,” commented one user.

Another wrote: “The most interesting lesson here isn’t about accent. It’s about how markets often reward perception before they value skill.”

A third user praised Bajpai’s initiative, saying, “Remarkably, even after removing all the unfairness from the story, one thing remains true: the teenager was finding clients, sending cold messages to strangers, and delivering work that people were willing to pay for.”

Social media users discuss freelance prejudice

Several panelists also pointed to the continued presence of discrimination in online professional spaces.

“And let me tell you all that racism still exists,” one user wrote.

Another noted, “Perception can create opportunities, but performance is what turns them into careers.”

Another comment read: “This shows how talent can be overlooked because of the assumptions people make before they’ve even seen the work.”

Another user, meanwhile, reflected on the wider issues of bias on the internet, writing: “The sad reality is that the internet hasn’t changed much; people now hide their bias behind better corporate language. But there’s a huge lesson here for any Indian freelancer trying to break into the world.”

(Disclaimer: This report is based on user generated content from social media. Livemint has not independently verified and does not endorse these claims.)