For anyone who spent any amount of time on Instagram in August, one would have stumbled upon phrases like ‘Jaldi The Late’, ‘Home From Work/Headquarters’, ‘Money Follows My Brother’, ‘Maun Vrat’, and ‘The Gucci Step’.

These are unscripted moments (slips, catchphrases, expressions) featuring actor Ravi Kishan caught on camera. For some reason, these moments have gone viral not only across India, but also among football clubs like Juventus, Liverpool FC and Borussia Dortmund, using it to try to connect with their Indian fans.

So when and how did the trend begin?

The first references to this date back to 1 July. Kishan stated ‘Home From Work’ in The Alliance (Prime Video).

Explaining an early exit from the reality show, Kishan told fellow contestants he had been summoned for ‘national duty’ and needed to leave for ‘headquarters’ — meaning his Gorakhpur constituency. Around the same time, he also mixed up ‘work from home’ into ‘home from work.’ Both lines were clipped and began circulating within the reality show’s news cycle; by early August they were common-enough shorthand that Juventus and Borussia Dortmund could reuse them and be understood by Indian fans.

Asked on Figuring Out with Raj Shamani whether he valued pehchaan (recognition) or paisa (money) more, Kishan replied instantly: ‘Pehchaan. Money follows my brother!’ The line was clipped into reels within days. The BJP’s official social media team then used it in a video aimed at Gen Z audiences, which Kishan reposted on X with a note that reputation matters more than money. He later said the scale of the reaction felt like nothing he’d experienced before in more than three decades on screen.

Stopped by reporters outside Parliament during the monsoon session, Kishan smiled and said he was observing a maun vrat (vow of silence) — then continued explaining why he couldn’t comment. Brut India reported the clip spread across Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and X within hours, pulling older Kishan clips back into circulation as compilation videos. Kishan later said such a reaction had not happened for an actor or politician in this way before, and that he was following the posts himself.

Data partner: Boomlet

This study was first published in our September issue. Click here to get a copy!