Bill Gates, in a surprising turn of events, ended up in an iconic Indian TV serial, causing a frenzy on the internet.
The Microsoft founder appeared on Thursday night's episode of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi (Because mother-in-law was also once daughter-in-law) to talk about maternal and child health with actress and former federal minister Smriti Irani.
The Gates Foundation has been working on controlling infant and maternal mortality for years with governments in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the two Indian states that are affected the most.
To tackle the issue and send a message to the general public about changing norms and to highlight the importance of taking care of girls and mothers, Gates ended up on locals' television.
First launched in July 2000, the series had a very successful long innings with several thousand episodes that were broadcast almost daily on Star Plus for eight- and-a-half years before it was discontinued.
In July, 25 years after it first hit the screens, Kyunki... returned for its second instalment.
The four-minute-long surprising segment with Gates started with the Microsoft founder greeting the actress in American-accented Hindi, "Namaste Tulsi-ji."
Gates and Tulsi hopped on a video call after her son posted a video of her giving health advice to an expectant mother at a baby shower.
As they talk, Tulsi explained a traditional ritual of "godh-bharai" to Gates, explaining that the people come together "to bless a young expectant mother, we wish her lots of good health."
"We tell women how essential it is to look after their health, their nutrition and diet. We tell them to follow the doctors' instructions and go to a hospital for their delivery."
The two agree that "when mothers are healthy, children thrive and the world can make significant progress".
In a statement to the BBC, creators of the show JioStar Entertainment said the show was using storytelling to spotlight critical issues around maternal and child health.
"By weaving topics of social significance into our narratives, we aim to create impact that reaches beyond the screen and brings about a meaningful difference in people's lives," JioStar's Sumanta Bose said.
The statement also noted that Bill Gates will appear in three episodes of the show.
