Archive · 8 Aug 2026
Abhinav Bisht, CJP Protest Star, Turns Viral Reel Into Career
There was a big protest in India called the CJP protest, and lots of young people went to it.
A 19-year-old named Abhinav Bisht made a funny video there with his friends.
In the video, they lip-synced to an old Hindi song and made silly sounds.
The video became super popular, and millions of people watched it on Instagram.
Soon, Abhinav became very famous, and even the news showed his video.
Then some older, famous people tried to copy his funny video.
Young people thought their copies were embarrassing, and some said it was wrong to use protest videos for promotions.
Abhinav kept making videos, and now making videos is his job.
He even got paid by a company called Beco to make an ad.
His account was paused for a little while, but it came back, and now he has 9.5 million followers.
Nineteen-year-old Abhinav Bisht's TikTok-nostalgia lip-sync reel from the CJP protest drew 8.5 million views on Instagram.
The 15-second clip, set to a remix of 'Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi', was called the most influential protest art of the Gen Z movement and aired on national television.
Celebrities including Anupam Kher's Khosla Ka Ghosla cast reunion, Chetan Bhagat and Karl and Ekaterina Svanberg made copycat reels that drew 'cringe' backlash.
Fashion designer Param Sahib called Kher's video 'Disgusting' for using protest content without standing up for the protest.
Bisht turned the moment into an Instagram career with 9.5 million followers and brand deals such as Beco, after his account was temporarily suspended by Meta and restored.
- Who
- Abhinav Bisht, a 19-year-old content creator, plus celebrities who copied his reel, including Anupam Kher, Chetan Bhagat, and Karl and Ekaterina Svanberg.
- What
- Bisht's TikTok-nostalgia reel from the CJP protest became the most influential protest art of the Gen Z movement and launched his Instagram career, while copycat versions by older celebrities drew criticism.
- When
- Exact dates are not stated in the article; the events unfolded during and after the CJP protest, which was called off around the time of reporting.
- Where
- Jantar Mantar, where the protest took place, with the reel spreading across Instagram, national television and X.
- Why
- Bisht's 15-second bit outperformed the news cycle covering the protest, and his consistent, TikTok-style posting turned the viral moment into a career; celebrities joined the trend partly to promote projects such as Khosla Ka Ghosla 2.
Critics of the trend's copiers
Creators and promoters
Older celebrities joining the viral trend
Critics of the trend's copiers
Commenters saw the copycat reels as cringe and exploitative: Param Sahib called Kher's video 'Disgusting' for using protest content without standing up for the movement, and one user wrote 'Someone stop these buddhas (oldies) or they'll ruin every new trend.'
Creators and promoters
The celebrities presented their versions as playful nostalgia and promotion—Kher's reunion cut was captioned 'Khosla and Khurana were never in tune, not even here! Jai Ho' and timed to market Khosla Ka Ghosla 2—and many commenters on Kher's video were respectful.
Turning protest fame into a brand career
Critics of the trend's copiers
Some critics noted the trend 'closed the loop from movement to merch' when Bisht took a brand deal with Beco, which reportedly supplied tissue paper at the protest, and one commenter wrote that 'One protest really became his entire career launch.'
Creators and promoters
Bisht is seen as a skilled creator who understood that consistency is key, converting fleeting viral fame into a legitimate full-time Instagram career with 9.5 million followers.
- Creator
- Abhinav Bisht, 19 years old
- Original reel views
- 8.5 million on Instagram
- Videos using reel audio
- 210,000
- Instagram followers
- 9.5 million
- Song used
- Remix of 'Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi'
- Brand deal
- Beco, a sustainable-goods brand
- Protest location
- Jantar Mantar
- Account status
- Temporarily suspended by Meta, later restored