When desi catchphrases cross geographical frontiers, very few can keep calm. Remember American television host Jimmy Kimmel uttering 'Mogambo khush hua' in one of his episodes? Yep, we did not keep calm back then. And we surely won’t keep calm now.
Why, you ask?
A Bigg Boss reference, while discussing US-Iran relations, cannot be overlooked. Can it?
Now, this is what happened.
In a programme on Fox News channel, Indian-American diplomat Nikki Haley praised US President Donald Trump for ordering the drone attack that killed Iran's top general Qasem Soleimani and slammed the Opposition and Democrats for questioning the move.
A 45-second clip of the speech was further shared by Haley on Twitter. But the video immediately caught the eye of American comedian Kal Penn, who in his witty counter said, “Pooja what is this behaviour?”
But Wait, Pooja Who?
This popular catchphrase can be traced back to Season 5 of the Indian reality show Bigg Boss (2011-12). Amidst a scuffle between contestants Pooja Mishra and Shonali Nagrani, Pooja got a little agitated and started breaking household items. To this, Nagrani questioned her, saying, "Pooja what is this behaviour?"
Since then, the phrase has been repeatedly used by netizens to denote erratic, uncalled-for behaviour. Here are a few examples.
What Did Haley Say to Kal Penn's ‘Pooja’ Reference?
Soon after Penn's response to Haley's tweet with the Bigg Boss reference, the former US Ambassador to UN further replied, “As a fan, that is hysterical. Proud of the work you do”. Well, we’re not sure whether she understood the Penn's intentions.
Meanwhile, here’s how Twitter users reacted to Penn’s comment, since you “were asking for it”.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)