What started as a routine tech showcase at Techfest 2025 spiraled into a jaw‑dropping spectacle when a humanoid robot took over the stage at IIT Bombay. Expecting a standard robotics demo, the crowd was instead hit with the opening beats of ‘Fa9la’—the viral track from the Bollywood blockbuster Dhurandhar. As the lights dimmed, the robot burst into a high‑energy dance routine, moving with uncanny rhythm, confidence and fluidity that made everyone think a Bollywood star had slipped onto the stage.
Viewers described the performance as ‘surreal,’ ‘unexpectedly adorable’ and ‘a glimpse of the future having fun.’ Many noted how natural the machine looked—its expressive timing and personality blurring the line between robot and performer.
The buzz didn’t stay confined to the auditorium. Clips flooded Instagram and YouTube, racking up millions of views and spawning a flood of memes. Netizens nicknamed the bot “Chitti Dakait”, riffing on iconic cinematic robots, and flooded comment sections with jokes like “Finally! Akshaye Khanna isn’t the only one anymore” and “This is what decades of kicking Boston Dynamics bots has led to”.
The performance highlighted just how far humanoid robotics has come.
‘Fa9la’, composed by Bahrain‑based rapper Flipperachi (Sher‑e‑Baloch), serves as a pivotal sequence in Dhurandhar.
