New Delhi: A bus stop in Mumbai is grabbing attention as it carries a provocative message in bold black-and-white lettering against a red backdrop: ‘Women go back to the kitchen’. But look closer, and a smaller line under it adds: ‘Don’t marry someone who says that.’
It is one of many cheeky billboards that have appeared across Mumbai as Muzz, a Muslim marriage and dating app, rolls out its first outdoor advertising campaign in the city. Mixing Bollywood references, humour and wordplay, the campaign takes a dig at outdated marriage expectations while attempting to give the traditional ‘rishta’ culture a new modern spin.
One billboard borrows from Salman Khan’s bachelor image, declaring, ‘Single rehna Salman bhai par jachta hai, aap par nahi (staying single suits Salman Khan, not you).’ Another plays on Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s iconic Gangs of Wasseypur dialogue, ‘Sab ka rishta dega re tera Faizal’ (your Faizal will get everyone married off), with ‘Faizal’ slashed out and replaced by ‘Muzz’.
A third one takes a dig at the endless swiping culture associated with dating apps: ‘Stop bumbling around, you’ve hinged enough. Get married the halal way. Download Muzz.’
The campaign also reflects Muzz’s larger effort to move Muslim matchmaking beyond conventional family-led introductions and toward more one-on-one connections.
Founded by Shahzad Younas in 2015, the London-based platform was originally launched as Muzmatch before rebranding to Muzz in 2022. It positions itself as a marriage-focused alternative to mainstream dating apps, allowing users to connect with potential partners while taking their religious beliefs and preferences into account.
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Mumbai’s billboard campaign
The app offers features such as filters based on sect and religious preferences, photo privacy options, voice and video calls, and the option to include a family member or wali (guardian) in conversations. Muzz says it has more than 20 million members globally and more than one million success stories.
Mumbai’s billboard campaign is another attempt by the platform to grab the attention of Muslim singles. Earlier this year in July, Muzz brought together young Muslim singles from across the city for its debut event, ‘Swipe-Free: A Muslim Singles Evening’, at Nomi in Andheri West.
The idea was to create an informal setting where people could have genuine, face-to-face conversations without the pressure of endless swiping or awkward family-arranged introductions.
Instead of exchanging phone numbers, attendees could scan each other’s Muzz QR codes to connect. The attendee list also remained accessible through the app’s ‘events’ section, allowing participants to revisit potential connections and reach out to people they might have missed during the evening.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)