MUMBAI: What began as a fleeting internet moment has turned into something far more enduring. The viral line from Dhurandhar, delivered memorably by Rakesh Bedi, has evolved from a scroll-stopping quip into a cultural shorthand that brands are now using to strike deeper, more meaningful connections.
The phrase may be simple, but its impact has been anything but. In a digital landscape where trends tend to burn bright and fade fast, the Dhurandhar wave has shown unusual staying power by constantly reinventing itself. What started as humour has gradually turned into a flexible storytelling device, allowing brands and institutions to speak with both wit and purpose.
Among the early adopters, Delhi Police stood out for reading the room right. Using the familiar caricature of Jameel Jamali, the force wove in road safety messaging that felt less like a directive and more like a friendly nudge. The tone clicked because it did not try too hard. It simply joined the conversation people were already having.
Healthcare brands have also found a voice within the trend. Emcure Pharmaceuticals Ltd leaned into the emotional resonance of the line to spark dialogue around mental wellbeing. By framing the message in a familiar cultural context, the brand softened what is often seen as a difficult subject, making it more approachable and human.
Meanwhile, PeeSafe took a more playful route, blending product messaging seamlessly into the trend. Its simple, on-point execution worked because it felt natural, not forced, proving that sometimes less really does more.
The trend’s growing footprint is also visible across a wider set of brand and creator-led executions, with multiple interpretations continuing to surface across social media. Recent examples include:
Together, these examples highlight how widely the trend has been adopted, cutting across categories and creative styles while still retaining its core recognisability.
If the Dhurandhar trend reveals anything, it is this. Audiences today are not waiting to be spoken to. They are already talking. The brands that win are those that listen first and then join in with relevance and authenticity.
In a world where attention is fleeting, this kind of cultural fluency does more than cut through the noise. It creates a shared language between brands and consumers, turning momentary virality into something far more lasting.
Among the early adopters, Delhi Police stood out for reading the room right. Using the familiar caricature of Jameel Jamali, the force wove in road safety messaging that felt less like a directive and more like a friendly nudge. The tone clicked because it did not try too hard. It simply joined the conversation people were already having.
Healthcare brands have also found a voice within the trend. Emcure Pharmaceuticals Ltd leaned into the emotional resonance of the line to spark dialogue around mental wellbeing. By framing the message in a familiar cultural context, the brand softened what is often seen as a difficult subject, making it more approachable and human.
Meanwhile, PeeSafe took a more playful route, blending product messaging seamlessly into the trend. Its simple, on-point execution worked because it felt natural, not forced, proving that sometimes less really does more.
