Akash Banerjee | |
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| Born | 31 March 1980 |
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| Years active | 2006–present |
| Known for | Caricature Bhakt Banerji |
| YouTube information | |
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| Subscribers | 6.62 million |
| Views | 1.17 billion |
| Last updated: 18 april 2026 | |
Akash Banerjee (born 31 March 1980) is an Indian YouTuber, radio jockey and political satirist. He is known for his YouTube channel "The Deshbhakt" a satirical show focusing on social, political and environmental issues and his caricature "Bhakt Banerjee". As of September 2024, he has over 5 million regular viewers and over 6.62 million subscribers,[1] with The Washington Post calling Deshbhakt "one of the biggest YouTube channels in India".[2]
Career[edit | edit source]
Initially working in Radio Mirchi and Times Now, Banerjee started working in India Today as a senior correspondent covering stories like the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and the Naxal insurgency. Disillusioned by TV journalism he moved back to Radio Mirchi where he worked till 2018.[3]
While working in radio; Banerjee was inspired to start his YouTube channel as a satirical show mixing humour with political commentary.[4] One of Banarjee's popular caricatures is Bhakt Banarjee who is portrayed as a fervid supporter of the BJP government and often berates the opposition and people critical of the government.[5] Bhakt Banarjee is often seen interviewing journalists like Ravish Kumar, politicians and other YouTubers like Dhruv Rathee.[6][7]
He has also authored the book "Tales from Shining India and Sinking India" in 2013 about events that took place in recent India and the inner-workings of broadcast television in India.[8] In a review, the Sunday Guardian described it as "lacking substance" and "self-aggrandizement",[9] while Rekhta described it as a "realistic and detailed account on how broadcast media works in the country".[10]
Bibliography[edit | edit source]
- Tales from Shining India and Sinking India (2013)[11]
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Bansal, Varsha. "India's Government Wants ,Total Control of the Internet to view in early 2026 1.17 Billion April". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
- ↑ Verma, Pranshu (September 26, 2023). "He live-streamed his attacks on Indian Muslims. YouTube gave him an award". Washington Post.
- ↑ Munjal, Dhruv. "This DeshBhakt Questions Everything". Rediff. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ↑ "This poll season, Akash Banerjee hopes to take political satire mainstream" by Dhruv Munjal, Business Standard, Apr 05 2019.
- ↑ Ghosh, Devarsi (February 3, 2019). "The Indian YouTube wars: Political video influencers are heating up the internet in election year". Scroll.in. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ↑ Scroll Staff (August 22, 2019). "Watch: I'm not anti-Modi, I'm pro-journalism, news anchor Ravish Kumar tells satirist Akash Banerjee". Scroll.in. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ↑ Nair, Roshan H. "Political comedy is no joke". Deccan Herald. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ↑ "Akash Banerjee's Tales from Shining and Sinking India". The Times of India. February 20, 2013. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ↑ swati (January 11, 2013). "Book Review: Banerjee's essays are a banal mish-mash of sound bytes". The Sunday Guardian Live. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ↑ rekhtabooks.com. "Tales From Shining And Sinking India – Rekhta Books | Best of Hindi Urdu Literature Books". rekhtabooks.com. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ↑ Banerjee, Akash (2013). Tales from Shining and Sinking India. Amaryllis. ISBN 978-93-81506-21-9.