From highways and rail corridors to sea bridges, influencers are reeling in viewers with aerial footage of India’s mega projects

Rajan Singh, 32, has driven nearly 300,000 km in six years, initially in a Maruti Swift, now in an S-Cross. That’s like circling the Earth 7.5 times. For him, the road is the destination. He has driven in pursuit of chronicling the construction of India’s highways and expressways for his YouTube channel RSLive, which has a subscriber base of 318,000.

The Gurgaon resident, who took up this mission full-time in 2022, has built an enviable community online—not with designer bags or protein-rich recipes, but with updates on fancy infra projects, from expressways to bullet trains.

One of his most watched videos— a 10-minute drone-aided tour of the Bharuch interchange on the Delhi Mumbai Expressway—has crossed 1.7 million views. Interspersed with aerial footage, Singh appears on screen to give construction updates and explain their impact on connectivity, making him part of a small community of infrastructure influencers who have become documenters of India’s mega projects.

In a country that is pretty much under construction whichever direction you look, they are bringing the evolving story of cement, steel and concrete to taxpayers who are funding much of it. They are also introducing something new to the country—periodic updates mean they are bringing in hitherto unseen levels of transparency and accountability to India’s mega infra spending.

The timing couldn’t be better.

Despite horror stories of collapsing bridges, waterlogged roads and sluggish project timelines, India is in the middle of an infrastructure boom. According to the finance minister, India’s spending on infrastructure has increased from Rs 2 lakh crore in FY15 to Rs 11.21 lakh crore in FY26. That is a lot of money, and there is curiosity about how it is being used. “Inconvenience today for better tomorrow” is a board many have seen on infrastructure projects in India.

But are they worth the hassle?

Unlike earlier, when most projects remained behind a veil until they were inaugurated, now it is possible—and imperative—to keep an impatient public posted on their progress. In the age of creator economy, with audiences gravitating towards infotainment content, it is easy to see an opportunity here.

THE INFORMATION GAP
Abdul Hakkim, a 30-year-old infra influencer who runs HaKZvibe, a YouTube channel in Malayalam with 114,000 subscribers, uploaded a video on a highway construction near his home in Malappuram three years ago. It was about the widening of NH66, which runs from Panvel near Mumbai to Kanyakumari. For the average Malayali, this road is a lifeline that flows from the northern point of the state to its southern edge, and holds economic and cultural value.

The video gained a few thousand views and opened Hakkim’s eyes to how he could build an audience. He has been sharing updates ever since, complete with aerial images. Most of these infra influencers hold drone flying licences, have taught themselves video editing and spend their own money and fuel to cover projects—often investing 20 hours or even a week in producing a single video for YouTube. What unites them is a shared purpose: to capture India’s infrastructure story. For some, it is also fuelled by a love of travel, and for others, a fascination with construction and machinery.

These digital documentarians serve audiences ranging from local residents tracking neighbourhood developments to non-resident Indians curious about their homeland’s progress. They are filling a void left by the dry, text-heavy updates on official portals.

“A lot of NRIs are interested in what goes on in their homeland,” says Hakkim. “Many NRIs who have seen good roads abroad think that such things don’t happen in India. But when they see my updates, they are happy,” he adds, pointing out that he gets a significant number of viewers from UAE, Saudi Arabia and Europe. Initially, contractors did not engage with him, but over a period of time and mainly because of the success of the videos, he says, managers from infra companies are actively interacting with creators like him, sharing details of the progress of work and what remains to be done. This growing interest in infra videos ties in with a rise in infotainment content.

“Whether it is medical advice delivered with humour or finance explained through storytelling, audiences are responding positively. Social media is no longer just about entertainment; it’s increasingly a channel for learning too,” says Lakshmi Balasubramaian, cofounder of Greenroom Network, a social media and influencer marketing agency. Academics, too, note the potential of such content but emphasise the importance of context.

Shivanand Swamy, director emeritus of CEPT University in Ahmedabad, says while content is welcome, he cautions that perception and technical reality often diverge: “What people may see as good for a locality is not always truly beneficial when judged through technical analysis. The story has to be told in full, not partially. And each city has its own context — acknowledging that context is crucial to truly present, discuss and analyse these infrastructure projects.”

NOT ALWAYS A SMOOTH ROAD
For Tanmoy Mondal, whose YouTube channel Droneman has over 250,000 subscribers, the foray into infrastructure content was almost accidental. The 32-year-old Mumbaikar, a former civil engineer with L&T Construction, posted a video on the Samruddhi Mahamarg, an expressway connecting Nagpur to Mumbai, in 2022. It drew 20,000 views on YouTube.

“I didn’t know people followed infra updates,” he recalls. “I got 70-80 comments, with viewers suggesting what else they wanted to see. That became the trigger for me to explore other projects.” The financial reality of infrastructure documentation is challenging.

Through freelancing, Mondal can earn Rs 50,000-80,000 in a good month. YouTube revenue barely covers expenses, as fuel costs often result in break-even scenarios. “I do it because I enjoy documenting infrastructure projects,” he says. Despite the financial constraints, Mondal’s ambitions remain expansive. He is planning an 8,000 km road trip, from Maharashtra to West Bengal. On the way, he plans to cover 13 highway projects and the underconstruction airport in Bhogapuram in Andhra Pradesh.

“As infra creators, we talk about projects even when there’s no coverage in mainstream media, helping people become aware,” he says. “My goal is to move beyond Maharashtra and Gujarat and capture the pan-India infrastructure story.” That is an aspiration shared by Hakkim, although he wants to keep telling his story in Malayalam for fellow Malayalis. For the others, there is the auto dub feature, he says.

There is also the frustration of things not happening quickly enough. Jaideep Kane, a 32-year-old from Mumbai, would sigh at the mention of the Mumbai-Goa highway, which has been under construction for about 14 years. He says that during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, a lot of people travel from Mumbai to Konkan.

Since the trains are packed, many decide on a car ride on the highway. For the past three years, before Ganeshotsav, he diligently posted updates about which stretches were developed and which were not. “But I’ve lost hope that anything will change,” he says. “So this year, I’m not posting.”

GOVERNMENT COLLABS
Infrastructure remains largely off the radar of influencer marketing agencies and brands. That does not mean the value of infra videos for communications, branding and propaganda is not being recognised. Some creators have managed to secure paid projects from commercial developers, government departments and public bodies, from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

Infra content creators are invited for project inaugurations, paid for marketing material and even roped in as a point of contact to keep tabs on the ground. The Railways invited content creators to cover and promote the Chenab rail bridge in Jammu and Kashmir.

Singh of RS Live lists “brand promotion”, “collaborative partnerships”, “infrastructure storytelling” and “social media handling” as services he offers on his website. While most of the narrative remains positive and focused on infra development, some creators also interact with authorities directly and inform them if they come across any lapses, although they prefer to keep such details out of their videos.

Kane says his images were used by MSRDC for the Samruddhi Mahamarg opening, while Singh says he was given “exclusive” access by the National High Speed Rail Corporation to cover the bullet train project for his viewers. Kane says he maintains neutrality and isn’t swayed by the authorities’ keenness to collaborate with influencers: “I do my own research and share both sides if there is public opposition to a project.” To diversify his revenue stream, Kane has recently launched an aerial photography and mapping company.

With the constitution of the National Creators Awards for content creators and influencers, it is evident that the government knows which way the wind is blowing. The government is also rewarding infra influencers with audiences with ministers. Singh says he was invited by a minister for a meeting in Delhi in March. “He said he was happy that a category like infra content is emerging to talk about infrastructure in India,” Singh recalls. However, infra videos with cheery filters can come back to haunt when roads crack and bridges collapse.

That is why it is critical that infra influencers bring an overview of India’s bigspending infrastructure sector, on good days and bad.