Watch: Gautam Gambhir shared a viral video of Kapil Dev, the first Indian captain to win the World Cup, getting kidnapped. He shared a subsequent video.
On September 25, a video of Kapil Dev being kidnapped by a gang went viral on social media. The video was shared by several social media influencers with large numbers of followers.
Gambir himself has won a World Cup with India, but I was hoping that this was not the real Kapil Dev.
Anyone else received this clip, too? Hope it’s not actually @therealkapildev 🤞and that Kapil Paaji is fine! pic.twitter.com/KsIV33Dbmp
– Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) 25. September 2023
All signs pointed to it being part of an advertising campaign. That’s exactly what it turned out to be when Disney+ Hotstar released his full video on September 26th.
In the video, a gang kidnaps Kapil and asks the local police not to switch off the power during the 2023 Cricket World Cup match.
Disney+Hotstar, which has broadcast rights for all ICC tournaments till 2027, will provide free live streaming throughout the 2023 World Cup. Kapil’s fake kidnapping was part of an advertising campaign to promote it.
A similar incident took place ahead of IPL 2022 where Harsha Bhogle posted a video of herself being forcibly taken away during an Instagram Live session. He claimed Mr Bogle was attacked by strangers in his hotel room. The stunt did not go down well with Indian fans, and Bhogle apologized.
It remains to be seen whether this ‘kidnapping’ of Kapil Dev will provoke a similar reaction from the public.
Watch the promotional video released by Disney+Hotstar:
Areh @therealkapildev paaji well played! Acting ka World Cup 🏆 bhi aap hi jeetoge! Ab hamesha yaad rahega ki ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is free on @DisneyPlusHS mobile pic.twitter.com/755RVcpCgG
– Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) 26. September 2023
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