“My mum still believes I shouldn’t have been smashing the glass” - Rahul Dravid shares mother’s innocent reaction to his ‘Indiranagar ka Gunda’ ad

(Left) Rahul Dravid in the Cred ad; (Right) a picture from Dravid’s mother’s scrapbook.

Team India head coach Rahul Dravid has revealed that while the Cred ad, featuring him in an uncharacteristically angry avatar was very well received, his mother is still not convinced about the former cricketer’s choice.

Back in 2021, Dravid, known for his calm and composed demeanor both as a cricketer and a person, stunned fans by appearing in the viral ad, which portrays him as an extremely angry man who is stuck in traffic. He yells at fellow motorists, used a bat to smash another car, and eventually proclaims:

“Indiranagar ka gunda hoon main (I am the goon of Indiranagar).”

In an interview with Cred, which has been uploaded on YouTube, Dravid opened up on how life has changed for him since his unexpected decision to feature in the commercial.

He candidly commented:

“There are people who look at me very differently now, thinking when is this guy going to explode. It’s been a really good, positive response. I wasn’t very sure about the reactions. But I think it’s been really well received. It’s been really positive expect for my mum. My mum is still not really convinced about it. I think she still believes that I shouldn’t have been smashing the glass. She’s like - you really think this is...?

Recalling how he ended up coming on board for the popular ad, the 50-year-old said:

“Kunal [Shah - Cred founder] told me a year before I actually did the ad - ‘we have this really interesting idea and it will only go with you’. That first year I wasn’t available, something happened. Eventually, we got the ad done.”

After the advertisement featuring Dravid went viral, the ‘Indiranagar ka Gunda’ part from the commercial became a meme sensation.

“One of the most embarrassing things I have done” - Dravid on the experience of shooting ad

Reminiscing about his experience of shooting for the Cred ad, Dravid described it as one of the most embarrassing things he has ever done.

The former India captain elaborated:

“It is probably one of the most embarrassing things I have done - standing in Bombay [Mumbai] in front of the street. Even though it’s an ad shoot and you know there are people around you, who are semi-actors or whatever they are. Still, for someone like me to stand in the middle of that road, keep screaming and shouting, was really embarrassing.”