In a move set to spark both intrigue and curiosity, Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates has made a cameo appearance on Indian television, entering the iconic drama series Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2 via video call, The Express Tribune reports.

The appearance, broadcast in a new promotional segment released by broadcaster Star Plus, sees Gates speaking with the matriarch character Tulsi Virani, played by Smriti Irani. “Thank you, Tulsi ji,” Gates says in the scene, the paper adds.

The promo, signalling a collaboration between popular entertainment and the Bill Gates social mission as a charitable theme is not incidental: the campaign is aligned with the efforts of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in South Asia, focusing on issues such as maternal and child health, nutrition and access to care, The Express Tribune continues.

It is not the first time Gates has appeared in a TV drama having appeared in Frasier in 2001 when Gates guest-starred as himself in an episode titled “The 200th Episode.” he also appeared in The Big Bang Theory in 2018, again as himself visiting the characters’ office in the episode “The Gates Excitation.”

According to The Tribune, while it remains unclear whether Gates’s involvement will extend beyond this special promo, industry observers say the initiative reflects a growing trend of social-impact organisations leveraging mainstream media to reach broader audiences.