'Pawri Hori Hai': Here's the real story behind Pakistani Instagrammer's viral video

If you are living under a rock or enjoying life away from social media - the latest meme trend on the internet ‘pawri hori hai’ must have escaped your attention. If not, the phrase might sound familiar as thousands of reels, videos, and funny graphics fill your Instagram account carrying this phrase on a regular basis. 

So what exactly is the story behind ‘pawri hori hai’ trend?

Well, a while back Pakistan-based content creator Dananeer Mobeen, shared a video on her profile as a parody. The video was a satirical take on Pakistanis who go abroad and come home to visit. Known as ‘burgers’, the video makes fun of the privileged lifestyles of these abroad-returns in a harmless fashion. In the video Dananeer played a ‘borgor’ as she stands on the side of a road and says with an accent - ‘yeh hum hai, yeh humari car hai aur ye humari pawri hori hai’ (This is us, this is our car and this is our party happening). 

 

This satire video caught the attention of the south-east Asian countries, as many related with the content and made Dananeer an overnight meme sensation. 

In India, the meme caught fire when viral composer Yashraj Mukhate (the man behind the viral tune of ‘Woh Rashi Thi’) made a composition featuring the meme.

 

Who is Dananeer Mobeen? 

She is a 19-year-old Pakistani influencer and content creator based in Islamabad with over 592K followers. The talented woman not only creates satire but also generates content on food, make-up, and fashion in addition to talking about mental health issues.
 

How was the meme created?

Dananeer Mobeen told BBC Urdu that she and her friends were visiting the popular hill station Nathia Gali in northern Pakistan when she suddenly decided to film the video. The young influencer said that when she uploaded the video, she had no idea that it would go viral, adding that the only intention behind the video was to make people laugh and enjoy it.

Reaction after becoming a viral sensation

Dananeer, in an Instagram live video, said that she is overwhelmed by the response she got and she is happy that people are enjoying the video so much. “I am so happy that my light-hearted video is also being enjoyed across the border, especially at a time when there is a lot of tension and polarization in the world,” she said. 

 

The latest ones to tap onto this viral trend was Pakistan’s Cricket team. The team made the video after beating South Africa in the final T20I of the three-match series to celebrate their victory.