Raghu, Rajiv, and Rannvijay star in Prime Video’s Dupahiya promo

Amazon Prime Video’s new promo for its new original release Dupahiya sees the vintage Roadies judges Raghu, Rajiv, and Rannvijay don their old judging avatars. The ad film, launched ahead of the launch of Dupahiya on March 7, shows some cast members of the show taking on the Roadies trio for a chance to win a Royal Enfield bike—which also happens to be the central narrative piece of the new series. 

In the ad film, Raghu, Rajiv, and Rannvijay are seen sitting in their chairs behind a table, indicative of the Roadies auditioning setup. The Dupahiya characters then appear before the three judges, one by one, in hopes of winning the bike. They are desperate. But why?

Well, the plot of the new show has the answer. Dhadakpur, the village on which the new show is based, is on the verge of marking 25 years of being crime-free. But chaos ensues when a never-seen-before motorbike that was purchased as a gift for the lead actress’ wedding gets stolen seven days before the ceremony. 

The plot then takes the bride's family and ex-lover on a quest to find the Dupahiya (bicycle). 

That is why the characters are at the doors of what appears to be a Roadies audition. 

The ad doesn’t explicitly mention Roadies, which makes sense since Raghu and Rajiv quit the show in 2014. But it is interesting that the OTT giant has recreated a set that is clearly reminiscent of the widely popular reality show Roadies. 

The ad was conceptualised by the creative agency Toaster. 

The audience has taken a liking to the ad film, and there appears to be much anticipation around the new series. One user commented on the video saying, “Wow I think this series (is) one of the best family series like panchayat. We all support this series.”

Another user wrote, “What a brilliant cast for this series.”

It is pertinent to mention here that most of the people responding to the video appear to be more surprised and fascinated by the collaboration with the ex-Roadies judges, with many flooding the comments section with their nostalgia.

While the ad film itself makes a subtle hint towards what the original Roadies judges were typically known for—the relentless anger and a lot of cuss words—one viewer hilariously remarked, “Who could have thought that one day people would miss the abuse and roasting and would want it back”?

Dupahiya will launch on Prime Video on March 7, 2024. The show stars actors Gajraj Rao, Sparsh Shrivastava, Renuka Shahane, Bhuvan Arora, Shivani Raghuvanshi, Anjuman Saxena, Yashpal Sharma, Samarth Mahor, Komal Kushwaha.