Rakhi Sawant has blessed my timeline again. She knows how to stay current and ever-viral. She’s funny, wacky, and rarely ever not crass. And this time, she’s talking about India’s foundational myth — the romance between Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha. She wants Amitabh to leave Jaya Bachchan and marry his “love”.
She didn’t stop there, though.
“Jaya Bachchanji was so masoom, Mili, innocent. Now she’s fighting everywhere… Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha, with the media… You were my favourite, Jaya Bachchanji. Now you are not,” Rakhi said in Hindi during an interaction with the paparazzi. I love our respectful queen for saying ji even as she mimicked Jaya’s infamous grouchy face.
Rakhi isn’t without grace, either. In a recent interview with Filmygyan, she offered some advice so Jaya could work toward becoming her favourite again. She wants the veteran actor to wear better salwar-kameez, dye her hair, and get some Botox.
“Real freedom of speech,” wrote a commenter. Indeed, no one who has watched a Rakhi reel can say free speech is under threat in India.
In the viral spiral that is Rakhi’s Instagram, you’re bound to find three things: endless promotional content; AI-generated reels featuring her as a glossy Bharat Mata or action heroine; and desi TikTok-style videos with her girlies. No matter which reel you get, you’re in for some laughs.
There’s a reason no Gen X icon today is as relevant as Rakhi. She understands virality like few celebs do. If you want to know India’s next pop culture sensation, check out the costume Rakhi is greeting her paps in.
Days before MCU dropped the teaser for Spider-Man: No Way Home, she stepped out wearing a red-and-blue costume that was the stuff of fever dreams. She painted half her face red, tied a cape around her neck, and wore red frilly underpants over the outfit. And she accessorised with two massive gold chains — it was a hybrid of Spider-Man, Superman, and Bappi Lahiri.
She put on a gold outfit and called herself ‘Khujli Devi’ from Heeramandi when Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s show came out. And this week, she dressed as a bride as part of her promotion for Kapil Sharma’s Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon 2.
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A lesson for comedians
But why is our desi Wendy Williams attacking Jaya Bachchan? Rakhi hardly needs a reason to say things, but she seems to have one this time. She’s angry at Jaya for her behaviour with the paparazzi.
The actor’s ‘gandi pant’ remark, especially, reeked of casteism. Everyone knows Rakhi has a close relationship with the paps. They’re vital for her virality. It’s only natural that she’s looking out for them.
One section of the commenters is applauding her for “telling the truth” and being “fearless”. Another is piling on with their own anger at Jaya. But a third section says that Rakhi is projecting.
“Adil left Rakhi because he found a more beautiful, elegant, and respectable girl. Don’t take your revenge out on someone else. There’s a chance Jaya is nice when she’s with her husband,” wrote Naghmana Nabeel in an essay-sized comment.
In the same paparazzi interaction, Rakhi also announced that she was marrying Mukesh Ambani. “Don’t feel bad about me saying this, Neetaji,” she said, winking at the camera.
There’s a lesson for comedians here: you can do the edgy, dark humour, but it’s only ever funny when you punch up. And Rakhi keeps punching up. She knows she isn’t welcome in some elite circles, but she responds to it with a shrug, a wink, and a joke. That’s why people love her.
It’s a pity Bollywood doesn’t know what to do with Rakhi. I say give her a show and watch her tear into the industry’s Janhvi Kapoors and Ibrahim Ali Khans. Two Much with Kajol and Twinkle has failed, and Koffee with Karan is irrelevant. Our campy queen can save both Bollywood and the dying art of desi talk shows. That’s what I call hitting two birds with one Rakhi.
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(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)