This Six-Year-Old BMXer Might Just Be India’s Youngest Influencer

If someone asked a six-year-old me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I’d wax lyrical about my dreams of becoming a doctor, an astronaut, an actor—predictably average answers that most kids would give. Others like Ali Sayed are way ahead of the curve.

I came across @Ali_Oneway during an Instagram stalking session, growing increasingly intrigued as I scrolled through the six-year-old BMXer’s feed of professionally done motocross stunts and swag-worthy poses in custom gear with rappers like Emiway Bantai and Dopeadelicz. He has accumulated over 50,000 followers. You might have come across his social media profile, spotted him in the 2017 Savlon commercial, or riding his bicycle in our Kya Bolta Bantai documentary. But when I followed him from his Instagram profile to his humble abode in a corner of Kurla, Mumbai, I found an explosively emotional origin story.

While other kids played hide-n-seek or chidiya udd, four-year-old Sayed was busy making mental notes at City Park, a park in the largely corporate area of BKC—of what the older kids with BMX bikes were doing and how he could replicate it on his normal cycle. “Two years ago, when the folks at our local cycle shop told me about his special talent, I knew I had to support him,” says his father, Wasim Sayed. “I spent my life savings to get him a BMX bike, with gears and safety equipment from California.

A professional BMXer was helping Ali with his initial training free of charge, but he became insecure that my six-year-old son was getting so much attention on social media and offered shoots by brands like Savlon and Squadrann. Now that he’s established his foundation, he diligently practises every day and learns more through YouTube videos, which he juggles with warm-up sessions, school, praying and learning Arabic. It hasn’t been easy for us, financially or emotionally. I gave up my job as an event supervisor so I could accompany him for practise, meet-ups and shoots. We couldn’t even afford the rent on our apartment. Bahut qurbani ki hai humne (we’ve had to make a lot of sacrifices). People think we get paid handsomely for the shoots, but it’s not so. They get jealous and make rude comments ki main bete ki kamai pe jee raha hoon (that I am living off my son’s earnings). But it doesn’t matter. He is my only baby, and just because I could not do much with my life, doesn’t mean he shouldn’t.”

Heading Uphill

Creating an Instagram personality was also the brainchild of Sayed’s father. It’s how the news of this ambitious kid from Michael’s High School, Kurla, impressed businessman Manoj Rawat, who offered to run his Instagram profile professionally.

“Normal kids only pick up BMXing around the age of 14, so Ali’s ability to do it at this age is extraordinary, and I want to use his unique talent to get some financial backing for the family,” says Rawat. “We try to connect with other influencers and brands that can give him a platform. His profile was first noticed by Savlon, who featured him in their 2017 commercial."

Since then he has starred in the School Sei Seekha Hai music video and even plays a small role in the upcoming Ranveer Singh-starrer Gully Boy. Ali’s go-getter attitude has made him much-loved by many, including rappers Emiway Bantai and 7Bantai'Z, who are always trying to include him in their music videos, while local designers gift him customised clothes. As Sayed tinkers about on his skateboard, his father says, “He fractured his right hand and suffered a few bruises due to a fall a few months ago, so he took up skateboarding since it doesn’t require any hand movements.” We head down to the building grounds, where Sayed rips about on both his BMX and skateboard seamlessly, in spite of his injuries.

“Isme bahut passion hai (He is very passionate). We were once shooting for this Malayalam film, Nonsense, on a helipad in Kerala, and it was so windy that the other kids got too scared to try out stunts. Not my Ali. He courageously took the lead and started doing his Stoppies and Bunny Hops right there, without even mentioning that his bottom was bruised.” In another instance of the same shoot, the little daredevil leapt at the director’s suggestion of jumping from the dockyard to a boat in the water, even before his dad agreed or the cameras could start rolling. “He isn’t afraid of the fall. He knows that even if he does, it’s not because of the sport or the bike, but because he wasn’t focusing enough and that pushes him to work harder,” explains Sayed.

Wheeling forward

“I want to officially represent India at International BMX competitions some day. Mujhe dar nahi lagta (I’m not afraid),” exclaims Sayed, as he shows me his prized collection of sunglasses. While waiting for his injuries to heal, he’s been busy—extending his skills by rapping for Emiway Bantai’s upcoming track “Bahut Hard”. Meanwhile, his father and Rawat are working on raising funds to send him to Tokyo to meet and train with international BMX child prodigies like @jbros_bmx and participate in competitions.

“I love BMX, but I also love school. I hang with the older kids and do a lot of masti (mischief). All my teachers follow me on Instagram. I want to become an engineer when I grow up,” says Sayed, shyly mentioning that he is often asked out on ‘playdates’ and has many female fans. “Once when I fell down, this girl came and asked if she could fall down with me!”

To help out or donate, get in touch with Ali Sayed at alibmxindia@gmail.com.

Follow Shamani Joshi on Twitter.