Amazon Prime Taps Rakhi Sawant’s Virality to Promote ‘The Tribe’
Amazon Prime's ‘The Tribe’ enlists Rakhi Sawant to add nostalgic flair and teach viral trends, aiming to stand out amid Netflix and JioCinema’s reality show offerings.
Sumit Rawat
With Netflix India streaming the latest season of Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives and JioCinema airing Bigg Boss, Amazon Prime Video is entering the competitive reality show space with The Tribe. To stand out against rivals with established viewer bases, Amazon Prime has enlisted a master of virality—Rakhi Sawant.
The Tribe follows five young Indian influencers on their journey to success in Los Angeles. To inject a unique edge into the show, Sawant, known for her bold presence across Indian reality television, offers the contestants lessons on going viral. Watching her recite her iconic lines brings a wave of nostalgia, with the campaign tapping into the trend of retro content that has resonated with modern audiences.
“She is naturally funny and full of energy. Everyone knows her, and we felt she would bring a refreshing contrast to the sophisticated, Western-influenced contestants of The Tribe,” said Parul Agarwal, Creative Director of Youngun, the meme-marketing agency behind the show’s promotional strategy.
Amazon Prime’s brief was straightforward: create buzz on social media, spotlight the show’s vibe, and position it differently from typical Indian reality shows. Bringing in Sawant not only adds desi flair but also sparks curiosity among viewers familiar with India’s reality TV landscape.
Rakhi Sawant’s presence comes with undeniable credibility. She’s earned her place across iconic reality shows like Bigg Boss, Pati, Patni Aur Woh, and Welcome – Baazi Mehmaan Nawazi Ki. “Wherever Sawant participates, she makes a statement. You simply cannot ignore her,” Agarwal said.
View this post on Instagram
The promotional campaign also features Sawant recreating popular dialogues, including “Jo Bhagwan nahi deta, doctor deta hai,” first heard on Koffee With Karan, and Sambhavna Seth’s Bigg Boss line, “Bhai pe mat jaana.”
But will The Tribe’s Gen Z and millennial audience connect with these older references? Agarwal is confident they will. “Today’s Gen Z consumes older content via Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. They’re into 2000s movies, music, and sitcoms. They even enjoy shows like Saath Nibhana Saathiya.”
This campaign fits into the broader trend of nostalgia marketing, which has seen actors reprising roles from the Munnabhai series and Gunda in ads, and Karishma Kapoor dancing to ‘Sona Kitna Sona Hai’ for Swiggy Instamart. “Brands are mixing nostalgia with modern elements to keep their messaging fresh,” Agarwal noted.
In today’s crowded entertainment landscape, breaking through requires something extraordinary—whether online or on television. Rakhi Sawant’s lessons on virality, focused on stirring drama or kalesh, capture this essence perfectly. A standout moment in the campaign is the clever play on Ankur Warikoo’s book Do Epic Shit, which Sawant amusingly rebrands as Do Epic Kalesh.
That’s how you keep yourself in the spotlight—by doing epic things, or in this case, epic kalesh.
