Zee5 plants a mystery Saali Mohabbat blooms past 100 million minutes

MUMBAI: Love may be blind, but this one came armed with clues, black roses and a QR code. Zee5’s original crime thriller Saali Mohabbat has crossed 100 million watch minutes, powered by a digital-first marketing campaign that blurred the lines between fiction, culture and everyday conversation.

Instead of playing it straight, Zee5 leaned into intrigue. The multi-touchpoint campaign stitched together social media chatter, influencer storytelling, real-world spike moments and brand integrations, all echoing the film’s central tension: love that is beautiful, and dangerous.

One of the most talked-about moves was a tie-up with Ferns N Petals. During premiere week, every FNP delivery nationwide carried a personalised note from Radhika Apte, nudging recipients to watch the film via a QR code. Select premiere hampers sent to celebrities and influencers extended the film’s character-led storytelling into gifting culture, without shouting promotion.

Online, the campaign chose symbolism over salesmanship. Micro-influencers gifted partners a striking black rose, inspired by the film’s ‘poisonous flower’, turning feeds darkly playful. Even the Zee5 logo got a temporary Saali Mohabbat makeover, reinforcing recall across launch touchpoints.

Offline intrigue followed. A staged couple argument in a public space, designed to feel uncomfortably real, later revealed its link to the film, driving curiosity and shares. Collaborations with poet Keshav Jha and targeted outreach within crime and thriller YouTube communities added genre credibility and fuelled word of mouth.

The numbers tell their own story. The campaign clocked 12 million plus reach across platforms, helping the title trend consistently and convert curiosity into viewing minutes.

Starring Divyenndu and Anurag Kashyap, and marking the directorial debut of Tisca Chopra, Saali Mohabbat follows a seemingly ordinary housewife whose life unravels after a shocking double murder. The film is the first collaboration between Zee5 and Stage5 Productions founded by Manish Malhotra, and premiered on December 12, 2025.

In an age of noisy launches, Zee5’s quiet provocation proves one thing, when marketing plays mind games as well as the story does, audiences don’t just watch,they lean in.