Peak nostalgia
YouTube India has leveraged the nostalgia of Indian households in its latest ad by bringing together two television stars from an iconic 2000s show.
In the show Kasautii Zindagii Kay, the dramatic rivalry between two characters, Komolika and Prerna, was played to perfection by actresses Urvashi Dholakia and Shweta Tiwari. Airing between 2001 and 2008, it centered on Prerna’s life in a patriarchal Indian household, and one of its most unforgettable hallmarks were the over-the-top confrontations between her and her arch-rival Komolika, complete with iconic dialogues and over-the-top smirks.
Now, in the new ad, Urvashi and Shweta have revisited their roles with a refreshing, self-aware twist, combining an acknowledgement of outdated TV tropes with
The film begins with Komolika approaching Prerna for styling tips rather than a confrontation. Unexpectedly, she reveals her admiration for Prerna, stating that, “catfights are a misogynistic trope designed to reinforce patriarchal status quo”.
However, Prerna replied by saying, “Everyone knows that a brat and a demure can never be friends”. Their tension is later softened as Prerna teaches Komolika how to “slay in saris” and style her hair with a “heatless curls tutorial”.
The ad concludes on a playful note, when Komolika recommends a “no tears makeup look tutorial” for Prerna to try with her iconic hair twirl and smirk – a nostalgic callback to her character repeatedly making Prerna cry in Kasautii Zindagii Kay.
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The ad quickly went viral across social media, garnering over 5.2 million views on Instagram alone in less than a day. Many internet users praised it for its humor and meta-commentary on outdated television tropes, and even the show’s producer, Ekta Kapoor call this spoof ‘too good.’
“All millenials watching this like🥺🥺🥺🥺,” content creator Dolly Singh wrote.
“How many times have you watched this? Me – Yes!” another joked.
“The duo we never thought we needed in an ad but we did,” Hira Attique wrote.
