The Mauka Mauka guy has landed in Dubai for the Ind vs Pak T20 World Cup match; will he finally burst his crackers?

The ‘Mauka Mauka’ guy is a sacrosanct figure when it comes to Indian versus Pakistan cricket matches at ICC world tournaments. Thank goodness, he’s returning to our screens in the run-up to the match between the two Asian neighbours at the ICC T20 World Cup on 24 October 2021.

Played by Delhi lad Vishal Malhotra, the Mauka Mauka guy is in Dubai shopping for a big TV only for the Indian store to reveal a “Buy 1, Break 1” offer. Because India has beaten Pakistan each of the five times at the tournament, it makes sense for our neighbour to break a TV in anger; the crackers have long gone kaput.

Sanjog Gupta, Head-Sports, Star and Disney India, said, "The India-Pakistan clash is one of the biggest matchups in the world of sports. The clash at an ICC event attracts core and casual Cricket fans as well as viewers who don't watch any other Cricket. The historic on-field rivalry between both teams is unparalleled and we believe that the iconic 'Mauka Mauka' campaign captures the spirit of this rivalry, blending competitiveness, banter and sportsmanship."

The campaign has been created and conceptualised by the in-house team at Star Sports

The Mauka Mauka guy is an ardent Pakistani cricket fan whose wait for his team to beat India and burst crackers hasn’t seen fruition for decades. Pakistan has never beaten India in any ICC 50-over and 20-over World Cup.

First run during the 2015 ICC 50- Over World Cup, Star Sports creative director Mustafa Rangwala (now a freelance creative copywriter) put forward this idea and production house Bubblewrap Films executed the first ad in five days; an impressive feat, considering an ad film generally takes 20-25 days to make.

The campaign returned in the form of a standalone piece for the 2016 ICC World T20 India vs Pakistan. Only this time, Mumbai-based production house Like-Minded People executed the campaign.