An advertisement that looks too real
Shaking a leg to the superhit Khalnayak number choli ke peeche kya hain proved to be a disaster for a New Delhi groom and led to his wedding cancellation. That was the news that filled social media for the past week. But well, it turned out to be an advertorial carried by The Pioneer.
This was the story: Excited friends urged the groom to hit the dance floor as the blockbuster Madhuri Dixit song played in the background, while other guests and family members joined the celebration, cheering, rejoicing and egging him on.
And the groom dutifully obliged.
But this celebration did not go down well with the bride’s father who called off the wedding midway into it.
Citing the groom’s actions ‘inappropriate’ and insulting to family values and traditions, the would-be father-in-law stormed off.
Realising he had just danced himself out of marriage, the groom tried to reason with his would-have-been father-in-law. The father remained steadfast on his decision.
The bride was left in tears.
Now everyone likes free entertainment. As the news gained traction online, netizens wasted no time cracking jokes.
One user commented, “Arranged marriages are like surprise exams, you never know what you're going to get.”
Another quipped, “Arrange marriage nahi elimination round chal raha tha.”
But as the fact checking website Alt-News revealed, it was an advertisement about an OTT platform.
YouTube experiment ends in building collapse
In a classic case of sasta, sundar, tikau gone wrong, a four-storeyed building in Kolkata's Naktala collapsed on January 14 while being “lifted” with a hydraulic jack. The mastermind behind this operation? A contractor who reportedly learned his trade from YouTube.
Abhishek Nagra, the owner of Haryana-based Nagra Constructions, was arrested on February 2 and brought to Kolkata on transit remand. Turns out, his company wasn’t exactly a legacy of excellence.
“Nagra Constructions originally belonged to his father. After his father’s death, Abhishek Nagra started running the company but with very little or no knowledge about the subject. In the Naktala project, he was using a hydraulic jack to lift a portion of the building, which he claimed to have learnt on YouTube,” a police officer said.
The decision to hire him was driven by a classic paisa bachao mindset— Rs 7 lakh for a job that other companies were quoting at Rs 17 lakh or more. And so, trusting a man whose training consisted of YouTube tutorials, they handed over an entire building.
It was a mehenga padega moment waiting to happen.
Grand theft romance
In a story that sounds like a rejected k-drama script, a seasoned thief took the phrase “house of crime” a bit too literally—by building a Rs 3 crore mansion for his girlfriend with stolen money.
Panchakshari Swamy, a 37-year-old thief from Bengaluru with a penchant for both crime and grand romantic gestures, was finally caught after his latest heist, bringing an end to his decades-long criminal career.
Swamy, who started out as a teenage burglar in 2003, soon realised that theft was a lucrative career path. By 2014-15, he had become so successful in his “business” that he attracted the attention of a famous film actress.
Ever the charmer, he splurged crores on her, including an extravagant ₹22 lakh aquarium—because nothing says “I love you” like an overpriced fish tank.
Despite serving time in Gujarat’s Sabarmati Jail and later in Maharashtra, Swamy couldn’t resist the thrill of burglary. After his latest stint behind bars, he moved to Bengaluru, where he resumed his old ways, melting stolen gold into biscuits and even changing clothes mid-escape like a true professional.
His luck finally ran out when police arrested him after a burglary in Madivala. Officers recovered stolen gold, silver, and his trusty fire gun used for melting jewellery.
With his criminal empire crumbling, Swamy may soon be moving into yet another home — this time, courtesy of the state prison system.
Grand celebrations of Ludo bhai’s birthday
A billboard to his name, an open jeep tour, fireworks, garlands and a cake – such were the arrangements to celebrate the birth anniversary of Ludo bhai, an indie pet dog.
In a viral video, a group of men in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas were seen celebrating the birthday of their beloved pet dog ‘Ludo bhai’.
In the video that has garnered over 227k views on Instagram, Ludo Bhai is seen sitting like a king, adorned with garlands and riding the bonnet of the car while his squad cheers him on.
A massive hoarding dedicated to Ludo reads, “Many many happy birthday wishes to our dear, loyal and fierce Ludo bhai.” It further sends an important message, “Take pride in being an Indian, adopt an Indie dog.”
The men cheer as they cut a cake for the occasion.
Netizens were touched by the gesture and poured love and birthday wishes in the comments.
One user wrote, “Ludo Bhai ke saamne koi bol sakta hai kya... Ludooooo Bhaiiiiii,” referencing a viral fan chant from Bigg Boss winner Elvish Yadav’s supporters.
Another joked, “Har kutte ka din aata hai,” (Every dog has its day) making the right use of the popular proverb.
Love is forever, but food is limited?
In India, weddings are less about two souls uniting and more about what's on the food menu! Nowhere was this clearer than in Surat, where a wedding was about to get cancelled because the groom’s family felt their plates weren’t full enough.
Rahul Pramod Mahto and Anjali Kumari were all set to tie the knot at Lakshmi Hall. The rituals were almost complete…just the jaimala remained…when the groom’s family staged the ultimate protest: “No food? No wedding.”
Well, people come to weddings only for food—hence proved.
What followed was straight out of Panchayat—the scene where a guest asked for snacks and was told to wait, only to mutter, “Gajab bezzati hai yaar.” Except here, the groom’s family wasn’t just embarrassed…they called off the wedding.
But Anjali wasn’t going to tolerate it. With determination she and her family marched straight to Varachha police station, demanding justice. The police, probably expecting a theft complaint, were now in charge of handling wedding logistics.
After a long discussion (which likely involved more emotional blackmail than actual law enforcement), the cops convinced the groom’s family to resume the wedding..but right there, inside the police station.
So, under the watchful eyes of constables, Rahul and Anjali finally exchanged garlands. No DJ, no fancy lighting…just a station full of confused police officers acting as reluctant wedding witnesses.
One X user summed up the groom's sentiments really well, “Guess the groom was ‘starving’ for something more than love,?” the post read.
As for Rahul and Anjali, they left the police station legally married but probably still hungry.
(Compiled by Sohini Paul, Payel Das, Subharup Das Sharma and Sriroopa Dutta)