New Delhi: The Indian team has always withstood immense expectations of fans to defeat Pakistan at cricket, but over the last few years, pressure from a little-known man from Delhi has kept them on their toes. There’s a catch: on screen, he is a Pakistani national.
Meet Vishal Malhotra, the actor who plays the heartbroken Pakistan fan in the hugely popular ‘Mauka Mauka’ ads.
“It gave me recognition, opportunities in films and TV shows, and above all, money,” Malhotra told ThePrint in an interview.
It has been a decade since the first of the commercials aired during the 2015 ICC World Cup. With instant appreciation from viewers, ‘Mauka Mauka’ ads soon became a fixture before India-Pakistan matches.
It again found itself in the middle of social media buzz as India defeated Pakistan by six wickets at the Champions Trophy Sunday. While there was no ‘Mauka Mauka’ ad this time, that did not stop people from tagging Malhotra on social media and trying to get responses from him.
For Indian fans, it was an entertaining TV ad when it first came out in 205. However, for Malhotra, the actor who plays the lead in the ad, it was a life-changing pivot.
“I was a struggling actor. So, I was barely making any money. Within a year of the release of this ad, I bought my own house,” the 35-year-old said.
The ‘Mauka’ man
Malhotra says he auditioned for the role and soon forgot about it, considering that about 150 others had tried to bag the role. From there to first getting selfie requests on a flight to Punjab after the ad was released, his life transformed.
“Tab laga ki kuch bada hua hai (That was the moment I realised something big had happened). I felt my life was about to change,” he said.
An Amity University graduate, before the ‘Mauka Mauka’ audition, Malhotra quit his job as a software engineer at Accenture in Bengaluru and moved to Mumbai to become an actor. Initially, he did only small commercials for a couple of oil and cream brands, which didn’t pay well.
“I would give 100 auditions and one or two would turn out in my favour. So, I forgot after auditioning for this one as it was a big client and there were many people who auditioned,” Malhotra recalled.
According to the actor, because his roots are from Punjab and Pakistan, his acting may have appealed to the creative directors, who brought him on board.
“I was able to ‘live the part’ easily,” he said.
Malhotra says the ’Mauka Mauka’ commercial was shot in two days.
“I was recently told that when the ad was released at night, it was the first commercial to achieve 5 million views in 15 minutes for Star Sports,” he said.
The ad featured a Pakistani fan (played by Malhotra) eagerly waiting for his team to defeat India in a World Cup match—something that had never happened before. With a catchy jingle (‘mauka mauka’) and crisp storytelling, the ad played on emotions of rivalry, anticipation, and heartbreak. Each time Pakistan lost in big ICC games, the Pakistani fan in the ads progressively grew from being a youngster to becoming a father—his stock of fireworks he planned to use in the event of Pakistan win remained unused.
Over the years, the ad campaign developed its own storyline and trajectory, almost as if it went a full circle.
But when the first ad was shot, there were no plans to turn it into a series. After the success of the first commercial, the management decided to create an entire campaign around it.
“Then, I started playing the role of cricketers of all countries that wanted to defeat India at big games. It became a loop. And, fans loved it,” he said.
Later, Malhotra went on to work in television shows and films such as Hume Tumse Ho Gaya Hai Pyaar (2016) and Sanam Re (2016). He also became the face of Zoomcar in their ads.
Now, ahead of every India-Pakistan clash, Star Sports and leading news channels air interactions with him.
He also runs a production house — ‘Mauka Productions’, which makes commercials for digital platforms.
Malhotra is now waiting for the release of his new sitcom ‘Sa Re Ga Ma’ on JioHotstar.
Meeting Shoaib Akhtar
Ahead of every India-Pakistan cricket face-off, Malhotra’s social media engagement sees a big spike. Fans from both India and Pakistan flood his timeline with memes and DMs.
“The best part is that Pakistani fans have taken the commercial in light humour,” Malhotra said. “Some of their radio jockeys message me-–not for work, but just to have a laugh or express their love.”
The actor, who regularly gets invites to feature as chief guest at events and to “cut ribbons” at gatherings, hasn’t been able to visit the neighbouring country yet.
“Mann bahut hai… par jana nahi hua..(I really want to go, but it hasn’t worked out,” he said.
Malhotra also recalls his first meeting with legendary Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar.
“I was nervous,” the actor said.
“But he was so warm and welcoming towards me. The memory is etched in my heart. It was a wholesome meeting.”
(Edited by Nisheeth Upadhyay)
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