Grameen Kulfi, the new-age kulfi brand from Walko Food Company, has partnered with comedian Zakir Khan as the first Co-Powered Sponsor for his Papa Yaar India Tour. Produced and promoted by TribeVibe Entertainment, the year-long stand-up comedy tour began in July 2025 and concludes in June 2026, covering more than 50 shows across over 30 cities in India.
The collaboration brings together Zakir Khan’s storytelling, inspired by relatable everyday Indian experiences, with Grameen Kulfi’s focus on nostalgia, comfort and traditional Indian flavours.
Papa Yaar is a comedy special that celebrates fatherhood and everyday emotions through Zakir Khan’s signature storytelling. As part of the partnership, Grameen Kulfi aims to connect with audiences through cultural experiences that create lasting memories.
The collaboration extends beyond on-stage branding and includes social media content, on-ground fan interactions across cities, backstage conversations with Zakir Khan and exclusive audience engagement activities throughout the tour.
Commenting on the collaboration, Jeetendra Bhandari, Founder, Walko Food Company, said, “Grameen Kulfi has always been about honoring India’s original ice cream & building it as a category. Zakir Khan resonates deeply not only with the brand’s name and product positioning, but also with its spirit as a true son of the soil — someone rooted in his land, culture and people, yet celebrated nationally & internationally. Partnering with Zakir Khan’s Papa Yaar for an entire year felt like a true extension of that vision. We see this as a cultural partnership, where a new-age Indian kulfi brand becomes part of stories unfolding across cities and audiences nationwide.”
Zakir Khan said, “Comedy has always been about connection, about finding pieces of ourselves in stories. When a brand understands that emotion and chooses to back an entire journey like Papa Yaar, it becomes more than just sponsorship. There’s something very warm and familiar about Grameen Kulfi as a brand, and that made this association feel like a perfect fit for a tour that is so personal and rooted in shared Indian experiences.”
Speaking about the collaboration, Shoven Shah, Founder & CEO, TribeVibe Entertainment, said, “For TribeVibe, live entertainment today presents brands with the opportunity to participate in culture, not just advertise around it. The Grameen Kulfi x Zakir Khan collaboration is a strong example of how TribeVibe enables brands to meaningfully align with content, emotion and audience experiences in an authentic, long-term manner. A year-long association across 50+ shows allows the brand to build a sustained and credible presence within a cultural journey that audiences are actively engaged with and emotionally invested in.”
