Typhoon Kurultayevich on Difficult Youth, TV Scandal, and Hiatus

Typhoon Kurultayevich Bezhansov is known as a sparkling «politician» who boldly and openly discusses the problems of Bashkortostan, which are often resolved after his sketches, making him a phenomenon in the republic. UFA1.RU spoke with Fidan Kulmukhametov, who is behind the image of the «people»s deputy,« and learned how he conceived this character, what it cost him to establish himself in Ufa, after which scandal he left Bashkir State Television (BST), and why he ended up disappointed not only in the authorities but also in the people.

Where the Image Came From and Why People Think Fidan is a Real Official

— How did Typhoon Kurultayevich begin?

— For a long time after previous characters, I was in a creative crisis, this was in 2022–2023. I understood that public demand was growing for a character that would help people or highlight problems that are kept silent.

One fine day, I rummaged through my father-in-law«s closet and found a swamp-colored suit. An old Soviet suit. It»s older than me; I«m 35. I just tried it on, stood in front of the mirror, and at that moment, the image of a people»s leader emerged. I found the briefcase right there in the closet. It was Soviet; now I have a different one, the first one tore.

I hadn«t yet thought up which party, what my name was. Later, the task was to add comedy to the character, and the surname, first name, and patronymic were invented. Everything — a reference to the republic.

— Decode it.

— Bezhansov — because he can«t do anything. He tries, but he»s more of a comedian than a real leader. Typhoon — because he still tries to do something. Kurultayevich — a reference to the republic. Through this patronymic, I show patriotism, love for the republic.

Many, by the way, get confused, think I«m an official, that I»m a people«s deputy.

— Wait, they think you«re an actual deputy?

— Yes, some subscribe to my channel, see my videos, and then say that I«m not real, and unsubscribe.

— Why is the party called «Khalyk Znaet»?

— Back in 2014 or 2015, I came up with this abbreviation — «HZ».

And in 2021–2022, people very often started saying «HZ, how to live further» when they saw inflation, rising prices in groceries, gasoline prices. I thought that this is straight up the party«s slogan, and so, essentially, the character was formed. Later, the walk appeared.

— Where did it come from, like that?

— Just in some video, I tried walking like that, and in the comments, people then said: «That walk!» Someone recalled their classmate who also walked with a skip, everyone had such classmates. The swing of a diplomat, this walk, it kind of shows that even though I«m Bezhansov, my intentions are not bad. Then this laugh appeared.

About Life in a Boarding School, Poor Family, Washing Floors at the Market, and the Scandal on BST

— You«re not local. How did your path in Ufa and in Bashkir, so to speak, show business begin?

— I came to Ufa because I was sent to a boarding school. I«m from a poor family; my mother raised three children alone. First, I studied for three years in Sibay, and from the fifth grade, from the year 2000, here, in a music gymnasium. And this helped my mother cope. She was a social worker who helps the elderly, earning 3 or 5 thousand rubles per month (approximately $33–$56 at current rates).

In the eighth grade, I played in KVN (Club of the Funny and Inventive) for the first time. Since then, my love for the stage began. The feeling when you joke and immediately get a reaction in the form of applause and laughter was very captivating for me.

After 11th grade, I entered Bashkir State University (BashGU) at the faculty of Bashkir philology and journalism with a Bashkir-German focus. I wanted to learn German and go to Germany.

— Why didn«t it work out?

— Because I was deceived. This came to light after graduating from university, when I had an audience. One of the subscribers worked in the BSU archive, photographed the exam results. I was told then that I got a 5 in German and a 2 in Bashkir. And she tells me: «No, you have a 5 in Bashkir here too.»

They found, as they say, a country bumpkin. And at his expense, they filled the ranks of the «commercial students.»

But I still wanted to go to Germany. And then, the dean told me: if you become an honors student, we«ll transfer you to the state-funded place.

After the first year, they didn«t transfer me, I»m an honors student, after the second they didn«t transfer, I»m an honors student, after the third I«m an honors student, they don»t transfer. And when I realized that this was a scam, I just gave up on everything and stopped studying. A year then cost about 50 thousand rubles (approximately $556 at current rates).

— How did you manage to find money for education?

— I worked as a laborer, a security guard-watchman, a janitor, and washed floors at the market on Komsomolskaya, two floors of this meat market. Greasy floors, I still remember how difficult it was. During summer holidays, I went to the district, worked part-time at tourist bases.

— And at the same time, you studied excellently. Did you have time to eat and sleep normally?

— I slept. Ate poorly. Since then, gastritis.

— At what point did things start looking up?

— During my student years, I was involved in KVN. I created a team, played, became a champion, then I moved to stand-up. We in Bashkortostan were the first among national republics to start doing national stand-up, that is, in the native language. Neither the Kalmyks, nor the Yakuts, nor the Tatars had done it yet. And somehow, I was noticed on BST. I was invited as a host. I left with a scandal after two years.

It was a time when many started shooting vines, I was one of the first to start doing it too, and in one of the vines, I showed a gesture as a joke. One of the BST employees didn«t like it, and the old employees, pensioners, went against me.

— Did they start weaving intrigues?

— Yes. «What is this? He shows this for everyone to see!» and so on. They tried to set me up. They said: «Either you delete it, or you leave.» Well, I left.

— And when was the last time you worked a «normal» job?

— It was my show «Vassalyam,» which was closed on the day the Special Military Operation began.

About Filming and a Slight Disappointment in the People

— How is preparation for filming conducted? It«s sometimes hard to tell if it»s improvisation or a pre-prepared joke.

— The approach is quite serious. When we go on «Khalyk-tours» to the districts, we prepare. We go into all public groups, in the comments under Radii Khabirov«s posts, you can go and immediately learn the problems of the whole people (laughs).

If people talk more about it, it means either the problem is not solved for a long time, or patience is running out and it needs to be publicized. Naturally, some phrases, funny moments arise during filming, so there is a share of improvisation there too.

Sometimes, people write a lot, for example about a bad road. We arrive at the spot and see that the road, in principle, is no worse than in Chernikovka or in the courtyards of Zelenaya Roshcha. People, to be honest, like to exaggerate a little, I«ve already understood that in two years of my trips, but in any case, we come and check.

— Will you change your role?

— Not yet. I can change my role when I get tired of the character. As a creative person, I«m always inventing characters. Maybe there will come a moment when I get tired of the character Typhoon Kurultayevich. Or the people get tired of it. I generally adhere to the proverb »If the horse is dead, dismount.« I don»t feel the approaching end of Typhoon Kurultayevich yet. But I«ll try to leave at the peak.

— You wrote that you recently finished «Khalyk-tours» because you were disappointed in the people, and problems remain unresolved. What needs to happen for new «Khalyk-tours» to appear?

«Khalyk-tours» will resume. I interrupted them because I was losing heart. Especially after the last one in Kuyurgazinsky District, when you see that roads haven«t been made there since the time of the Pugachev Rebellion. And people still drive on these roads and suffer, and where there is asphalt, it»s destroyed by heavy trucks, which Radii Faritovich recently said he would fight.

I don«t know how he»ll manage it, of course, because it was such a strong emotional outburst from him, but in fact, it«s a trouble of many districts. Everywhere there are productions that somehow work for the economy of our republic, these problems exist. I don»t know how he«ll solve it, but the fact that he drew attention to it is very good.

About why Fidan became disappointed in the people, why he never became a deputy of the Kurultai, and what he said at a private meeting with the authorities in the White House, read in the second part of the interview, which will soon be released on UFA1.RU. He will also tell how to solve the problem with roads and transport and how to joke about the authorities and not end up in prison.