Undekhi on SonyLIV: Promotional prank call goes wrong, Mumbai Police gets complaints

Image: Instagram/@sonylivindia

On July 10, SonyLIV sent out prank calls to promote its web series Undekhi. But, it did not go well with the ones who received it.

The control room of Mumbai Police received a strew of phone calls after alarmed residents had called upon receiving strange calls from an unknown number, the Hindustan Times reported, adding that it was primarily a man named Rishi who phoned in claiming he was involved in a murder and someone was out to kill him.

The number starting with 140 or 40 sent residents into a frenzy.

"If you received a call for our show Undekhi and were disturbed by it, we sincerely apologize to you," SonyLIV responded in an official tweet, adding that their intention was not to alarm or cause panic.

This is not the first time a company has used this method as a way to promote their material. In 2018, working up to the release of the movie Pihu residents received a call from an anonymous number, only to receive shrieks from a baby girl. When residents dialled back in panic, they received a link to the trailer for the movie, according to the HT report.

“We have instructed the channel to cease this promotional activity immediately,” Maharastra Cyber tweeted, adding that they should not panic and spread rumors if they receive the call.

The Maharashtra police has also instructed SonyLIV to stop the promotional gimmick.