Stranger Things stars Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo go desi in Netflix promo featuring Indian household items

Netflix has released a new promotional video featuring ‘Stranger Things’ stars Finn Wolfhard and Gaten Matarazzo that has quickly caught the internet’s attention, particularly among Indian fans.

Stranger Things stars Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo try Indian household items

The clip shows the two actors playfully testing and reacting to a range of familiar Indian household items, blending pop culture humour with everyday objects in a way that feels both unexpected and oddly fitting.

In the video, Wolfhard and Matarazzo are introduced to items such as a rubber bathroom slipper, a Hawkins pressure cooker, a steel tiffin, a rolling pin (belan) and an Indian broomstick. What begins as a simple showcase soon turns into an imaginative discussion about how these objects could be used to battle Vecna, the show’s primary antagonist.

The conversation takes a comic turn as the actors joke about “whacking Vecna” with the slipper, a reference many viewers immediately linked to the no-nonsense authority of Indian mums.

The steel tiffin sparks another round of humour, with the duo suggesting it could be used to store both food and grenades, highlighting its perceived durability. They then move on to the rolling pin, joking about tripping Vecna and flattening her with it, before ending on a theatrical note by discussing performing Wicked’s ‘Defying Gravity’ using the Indian broomstick.

The use of a Hawkins pressure cooker proved to be a particularly clever detail. Hawkins, the fictional town at the centre of Stranger Things, also happens to be a well-known Indian pressure cooker brand, a coincidence that many viewers described as inspired. Netflix has not issued a detailed statement about the concept behind the video, but the tone suggests a deliberate attempt to tap into local cultural references while keeping the humour accessible to a global audience.

Internet reactions to the video

Online reactions poured in shortly after the video dropped, with fans praising both the creativity and the unexpected cultural crossover. One viewer wrote, “Hawkins was a genius move!! (sic)” Another commented, “How they even did this 😂 most unexpected reel of stranger things (sic)”.

Some reactions leaned heavily into the show’s characters and dynamics. “The chappals are for Joyce Byers and Karen Wheeler (Weapons for moms) (sic),” read one post, referencing two of the series’ most formidable parental figures.

Another fan shared their disbelief at the timing of the video, saying, “Going insane rn bc earlier today I was thinking of the Hawkins cooker and stranger things and now they drop this (sic)”.

The playful tone also left viewers wanting more. “Can we please get some more such interviews (sic),” one reaction read, while another added a note of trivia-driven amusement: “Little does blud know that Hawkins is an actual brand in India and not merely for promoting Stranger Things (sic).”

The video arrives as Netflix continues to experiment with region-specific promotional content, especially in markets like India where the platform has seen strong engagement with international series. By blending ‘Stranger Things’ lore with everyday Indian objects, the promo manages to feel both light-hearted and locally resonant, without drifting into parody.

For fans awaiting the next chapter of ‘Stranger Things’, the clip serves as a reminder of the show’s enduring cultural reach. More importantly, it highlights how even the Upside Down’s darkest threats can be reimagined — at least jokingly — with a slipper, a tiffin and a very sturdy pressure cooker.