Bollywood, global stars feature in hilarious memes by Mumbai Police

Mumbai Police on Friday shared a series of witty memes on their official Instagram account featuring Bollywood stars. The memes are intended to remind people to take precautions amid the ongoing second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The memes feature dialogues by Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Ayushmann Khurrana and Kajol, and are humorous as well as informative. A meme featuring late actor Khanna’s photograph urges people to order food at home instead of stepping out. It reads: ‘Rajesh’ order ‘Khanna’ [food] at home.

One meme featuring Kajol’s picture says: You can’t ‘Kajol’ us into thinking getting chocolates is essential. Mumbai Police borrowed from a popular dialogue of Kajol from “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” to write alongside the meme: “Cheater, cheater, cheater... That’s what you are!”

A meme featuring Bachchan reminds people to wear masks properly. It reads: ‘Big-B’lunder wearing your mask below nose.

The meme featuring Ayushmann Khurrana warns people against stepping out. It reads: ‘Ayush, Maan’ Ja — it is very unwise to step out unnecessarily. Alongside the meme, it is written: “Be ‘Zyada Saavdhan’ today to ensure everything’s ‘Shubh Mangal’ everyday.”

Mumbai Police is known for their funny posts on social media that are used to entertain and also inform people. Earlier, they used references to popular music artists such as BTS, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift to promote COVID-19 awareness.

“Head only in One Direction — Home,” one meme read, referring to the hit British pop group. Another picture read: “If John says at home he’s a Legend.” Of course, that’s referring to the Grammy winning crooner.

The posts even draw inspiration from movies. One meme used images from ‘X-Men: First Class’ with the hashtag #XMenWearMasksRight.

Fans of ‘Harry Potter’ had a good laugh with a meme that featured an iconic scene from the film franchise. It featured Dumbledore and Professor Snape, where the potions master says the word, “Always.” It was originally about his love for Harry’s mother, Lily. But Mumbai Police gave it their own spin, turning it into a message about double masking.

But who is behind these totally relatable posts? Sunchika Pandey is a former journalist and owner of HAT Media, which is contracted to run Mumbai Police’s Twitter. In an April interview with Hindustan Times she talked about why they use the approach they do. “We wanted the nature of tweets to reflect the friendliness and approachability of Mumbai Police, and now the humour and wit have become a part of the handle’s identity, it makes people smile,” Pandey said.