Pakistan goes bananas over giant gorillas dancing to Bollywood songs
Pakistanis are going bananas over a trend that has crossed the Indian border: Giant gorillas, dancing to Bollywood music.Clips of these larger-than-life performers have been spreading rapidly online, turning them into the surprise stars of weddings, birthdays and other festivities.In the videos, guests can be seen joining in alongside the costumed entertainers, many of them visibly delighted by the unusual addition to their celebrations. The performers swing their oversized arms to pounding DJ tracks while partygoers gather round and dance, creating a lively, comic spectacle that has quickly drawn attention across social media.Behind the trend in Lahore is Shayen Zahoor, who runs Gorilla.co.pk, a business offering giant dancing gorilla acts for events across the city.Speaking to AFP, Zahoor explained how quickly the idea took off. He said the costume was ordered in early April and arrived by the end of the same month, after which the team wasted no time putting it to use.Once the suit arrived, he and his team lost no time getting started.“We uploaded a reel on Instagram, and within just two days it reached a million views,” Zahoor recalled.The overwhelming response convinced them to treat the venture as a serious business, and bookings soon began pouring in, with the public reaction proving remarkably enthusiastic.“On the very first day, we received approximately 1,200 to 1,300 messages,” he said, describing how curious would-be customers flooded his inbox.Many wanted to know whether the costume had genuinely arrived, what it would cost to book, and other practical details before making up their minds.What began as a single Instagram reel has since snowballed into a full-fledged entertainment phenomenon, with giant gorillas now a familiar, if unlikely, fixture at Pakistani celebrations.
