‘Looking For A Premika For Reo’: This Kolkata Man’s Billboard Profile Is A Hit

Nothing beats the power of a good billboard when it comes to promoting a brand or perhaps looking for love. Recently, Tinder India advertised its service by calling out potential ‘Premikas’ or lovers for a man named Reo through a billboard. The massive board had a photo of ‘Reo’ as it announced “Looking for a premika for Reo’. It then lists some of Reo’s best qualities that were apparently shared by his best friend Anchal, who wants to help him find love. These qualities include: “He knows all the best puchka places in town”, “He’s a photographer (unlimited candid pics for you)” and “Can make kathi rolls like the ones in Park Street.”

The billboard had a QR code that reportedly linked to Reo’s Tinder profile. Photos of this billboard are being widely shared across social media. On Tuesday, a popular Instagram account, ‘Calcutta Instagrammers’ shared a photo of this billboard and wrote, “What can we say… If Reo can make the perfect Kathi Roll, he deserves a premika! Who’s up for a phuchka date?” Commenting on it, an Instagram user referred to the ‘Casual hai’ meme and wrote, “Tinder ko promote karne ka tarika thoda casual hai (The way of promoting Tinder is casual).” Another jokingly wrote, “Anchal please be my friend and set me up too cause mine are useless.”

The man on the above-mentioned billboard is 21-year-old lifestyle influencer Rio. On Thursday, he shared a selfie with this billboard on his Instagram and wrote, “WE GOT OUR FIRST BILLBOARD!!! kept it a secret for all this time and now can finally share it with you guys!!! Love y’all!” An Instagram user jokingly asked him, “Seriously can you make kathi rolls like Park Street?” Another wrote, “The fact that you know the best puchka places won me over.” It is unclear if Rio really wanted to seek a ‘Premika’ or it was just a part of the ad campaign.

Back in 2020, a man from the UK put up a billboard for himself in a bid to find a partner. Mark Rofe paid £425 (approximately Rs 44,000) for a billboard on a busy road in Manchester. He put a photo of himself and announced “Single? Date Mark. This could be the sign you’ve been waiting for. Visit DatingMark.co.uk”

While speaking to BBC, Mark said that he got the idea when he was talking to his friends in a pub. “I was talking to my mate saying how I was struggling on all these dating apps and I joked that I should put my face on a big billboard,” he said. He added, “Some people might think I’m mad paying £425 but if I find love then it’s fairly cheap.”