As Arjun Kapoor battles memes, Arth Electrolytes bets on him for its new ad

Arjun Kapoor may be trending online for the wrong reasons, but Arth Electrolytes has found a way to ride the wave. The hydration brand by Emcure Pharmaceuticals has launched a new campaign with the actor coinciding with a meme template flooding the internet.

For those unversed, if you use Instagram, you would have definitely come across this audio – “Ho underworld jikra yaaran ke naam ka” and somehow Kapoor owns it now. In May 2017, while promoting Half Girlfriend with Shraddha Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor was asked about shooting in Bihar.

After he praised the locals’ warmth, a reporter quipped, “Kya baat hai!” Kapoor responded by locking eyes with him in a mock-serious stare before breaking into a smile and saying, “I didn’t even say anything.”

Years later, that playful stare resurfaced as meme gold—memers chopped the clip and swapped the audio with a Dada Sadhu track.

The internet, as is often the case, swiftly transformed it into a meme template. Users incorporated it into a variety of contexts, ranging from commentary jokes to Monday-morning mood swings. The response included big influencers recreating the scenes, as well as others producing AI-generated videos inspired by the trend.

One of the clips to know what exactly the trend is about-

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And now, right in the middle of that meme storm, Kapoor has popped up in a new Arth Electrolytes ad. But instead of kicking things off with the brand pitch, the actor dives into a nostalgic recap of his filmography.

He drops in references to his roles in Ishaqzaade, Gunday, Half Girlfriend—essentially giving audiences a mini “Arjun Kapoor career highlights reel” before pivoting to the product. The brand clearly leverages his personality instead of a direct sales pitch, resulting in an ad that feels more like a playful dialogue with fans than a pre-planned commercial.

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At the end, Kapoor clarifies what Arth Electro actually is: a hydration drink produced by Emcure Pharmaceuticals, enriched with electrolytes and L-glutamine. While Arjun is the face of this specific advertisement, the broader Arth range features Vidya Balan as its official ambassador—she was announced as the brand ambassador earlier this year for Arth Supplements, which are designed to support women’s health.

The interesting bit here is how old videos, once forgotten, often find a second life as viral memes, changing the way audiences view celebrities.

And this isn’t new: old clips keep boomeranging back – Alia Bhatt’s “Prithviraj Chauhan” quiz moment and Ananya Panday’s “struggle” comment – each time returning as a fresh template. Kapoor’s throwback viral clip joins that hall of fame just as his new brand campaign drops, blurring the line between meme culture and mainstream advertising.

The audience is definitely enjoying the new trend and probably spamming his feed as Kapoor has switched off his Instagram comments.