Himesh Reshammiya's Instagram is a masterclass in confidence and I'm taking notes

I’ve been rehearsing my return to social media in my head for some months now, mentally preparing what that first post since 2018 would look like. Dogs? My grumpy cat? Pictures with friends, a trip to the Maldives Lakshwadeep or a hard launch of my partner of eight years, who has remained a mystery to most in my life since neither of us are Instagram regulars? While on this Instagram hiatus, the digital world went on without skipping a beat. This was a new world: I scrolled through reels, AI models, influencer affiliate links and perfectly-bodied fitness trainers.

I was planning the potential shot breakdown of a new post while my thumb moved like a zippy yo-yo, darting up and down the screen past memes and viral posts. It was like fate intervened and detoured into the world of someone with real main character energy – Himesh Reshammiya.

I had stumbled into a carnival of confidence in a sea of carefully curated feeds. His feed became an unexpected inspiration of self-assurance, screaming, “I’m doing me, and you can either join the hype party or watch from the sidelines.”

Like the rest of the world, he carefully sets up his camera at the gym to record a workout routine, and you’ve probably already come across one of his – either his original ones or joking imitations. The ones where it seems like he’s having a staring contest with himself in the mirror while pumping iron. He’s his own #fitnessinspo. I mean, who needs a gym buddy when you’ve got Himesh’s level of self-love? I can barely look my trainer in the eye as I descend into a squat while overthinking my form.

While the rest of us struggle to take compliments or talk about our accomplishments without feeling like we’re arrogantly boasting, Himesh Reshammiya is a one-man promotional powerhouse. Why use someone else’s tunes or content when you have your own repository of music to accompany your lip-syncing reels (is it even lip-syncing, if it’s your own song)? It doesn’t matter if the rest are finding ways to add the Instagram viral Chipi Chipi Chapa Chapa to a video to please the algorithm overlords. Why should Himesh be an ambassador for others when he’s the hero of his own soundtrack?

The man has worn more hats than most in the industry. Music producer, singer, director, actor – whether he’s donning a bright red one in Apka Suroor as a tear gently rolls down his face, or making a grand reveal of acting plans and a brand-new head full of hair.

From the land of caps to the kingdom of luscious locks, Himesh Reshammiya has had a glow-up I’m terribly jealous of. And there’s no hiding it. While others seek refuge behind the camouflage of lemon water, face massages and alleged champis using Nani’s secret oil recipe, Himesh cleared up the smoke rather than laying low behind the screen it created.

“Bal udd gaye the, toh cap laga li. Uske baad aap log ne hit kar diya. Uske baad transplant kar diya aur phir baal aa jaate hain (I lost my hair, so put on a cap. You all made it a hit. After that, I underwent a transplant, and the hair came back),” he said in an interview, adding that his wife told him that if he wants to become an actor, he’s going to have to look the part. He kicked off another journey and made that career for himself.

You’ll find plenty of mimics of his nasal singing, but there’s no denying the man has talent, giving us catchy hits like Tandoori Nights, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa and more that we’re still undeniably jamming to.

Himesh Reshammiya was an icon, he was a legend, and he was the moment – a cultural phenomenon that drove up cap sales. I can’t imagine having that kind of impact on…anything.

The most lasting thing I’ve done in my 31 years so far is write things that may or may not live on the internet forever. Noteworthy things? Not really. But I take the page views, likes and comments as some kind of validation or denouncement, then lie in a puddle of my own thoughts. Scroll through the comments of any of his posts, and you’ll step into a world of internet trolls armed with keyboards and a knack for merciless mockery. Himesh remains unfazed because he’s already been through it all. The man’s been the punchline of jokes, the target of memes, yet has his eyes focused on his prize.

Himesh stands tall, unbothered by the storm of insults, memes and jokes. He’s like that cartoon of the dog in a burning room saying, “This is fine”, except he’s not just fine; he’s thriving. If you believe all engagement is good engagement, then he’s at the top of the Instagram game. He’s the bull in the china shop of internet trolls, strutting through the chaos with a swagger that’s commendable, hilarious and utterly infectious.

So, here’s to my unintentional Instagram muse, the self-confidence king as resilient as a rubber ball in a world full of sharp edges, who is in on the joke as much as he may be the butt of them, because while you’re thinking up clever quips to leave in his comment section, he’s already moved onto his next moment of virality.