The first episode of Samay Raina’s India’s Got Latent went viral and garnered more than 45 million views. But more than Samay and guests Alia Bhatt and Sharvari, the person who is being talked about the most is Avinash Agarwal, who won hearts by doing an impression of Donald Trump and is now being called the ‘Indian Donald Trump’ by fans.
Who is Avinash Agarwal aka Indian Donald Trump?
While Avinash was lauded on the show by the judges and the audience for his quick wit, not many know that he developed this wit and stage presence over a 14-year period. In 2013, he quit his copywriting job and took a chance on stand-up comedy. However, he admitted in an Instagram post that it was too soon to leave his job. Eventually, Avinash had years of experience in branding and marketing, but while pursuing his corporate job, he continued performing at live shows. As per his website, he has 15+ years of experience on stage and has performed in 800+ live shows across India. He has hosted events and even opened for comedian Gaurav Kapoor.
According to his public profiles, he has also represented India at the Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking in the United States and finished among the top 30 speakers globally.
Over the years, Avinash has also hosted events featuring personalities including Manisha Koirala, Abhay Deol, Johnny Lever, and Anurag Kashyap. As per reports, he has also been associated with script-writing projects involving Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra.
Avinash recalls Johnny Lever’s funny advice
In his old Instagram post, he recalled taking advice from Johnny Lever on “How can I be as funny as him?” He wrote, “Johnny said, “Ek tablet aati hai, woh har Wednesday lo aap…” Now I realise he was talking about going to Open mics 😇.”
Avinash gained 250,000 followers after Latent
After 14 years of performing on open mics, Avinash finally got his due when he appeared on Samay Raina’s show India’s Got Latent. Avinash’s jokes broke the internet. His biggest moment on the show was when he took a playful jab at Alia Bhatt. When she struggled to respond during a segment, he quipped, “Somebody give her a script and a director,” which got him one of the loudest reactions of the episode. He followed it up with “Somebody give her an action director.”
After giving a performance that left Alia Bhatt gobsmacked, Avinash went viral on social media and within 48 hours of the show’s streaming, he gained 250,000 followers on Instagram. Avinash was also the winner of the episode.