Move over action heroes, item numbers and larger-than-life villains! Bollywood seems to have discovered a new secret ingredient for box-office success — the Jeeja/Jija (brother-in-law)!Photo: Instagram\ViralCelebsssThe Internet is buzzing with the hilarious ‘Jeeja Trend’, also known as the “Jeeja ko niptaane wala trend”. According to this viral theory, if a Bollywood hero wants his film to become a blockbuster, all he needs to do is eliminate his brother-in-law!https://www.instagram.com/reels/Dfmc8_RvwMq/The meme detectives first connected the dots with Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal (2023), where the brother-in-law meets an unfortunate fate. Ranvijay (Ranbir Kapoor) discovers that Varun Pratap Malhotra (played by Siddhant Karnick) acted as an inside mole and conspired with their enemies in the assassination attempt on Ranvijay’s father, Balbir Singh (Anil Kapoor). During a major boardroom meeting, Ranvijay walks in with his cousins and security. After ordering everyone else in the room to close their eyes, Ranvijay shoots Varun dead in front of them. Ranvijay initially hides the truth from his sister, Reet (Saloni Batra), though she eventually finds out about Varun’s betrayal and death later in the film.Then came Dhurandhar Part 2, where Ranveer Singh’s character added another Jeeja to the list. And now, with Ramayana, even Ravana has joined the club, earning the unofficial title of Bollywood’s original ‘OG Jeeja Killer’! Yash’s character, Ravana, kills his brother-in-law Vidyutjihva (played by Vivek Oberoi), who is married to Shurpanakha (Rakul Preet Singh). Social media memers playfully point out that Ravana actually started this cinematic trope thousands of years ago in the original epic.Look here:https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JDCB3V6wJA0Naturally, social media has gone into overdrive. Memes declaring “Jeeja samaaj mein dar ka mahaul hai” are everywhere. Real-life brothers-in-law are being advised to stay alert, avoid suspicious family gatherings and perhaps think twice before attending a Bollywood film set!https://www.instagram.com/reels/DfhrMBXqpoE/And then there is the Salman Khan exception, with meme-makers joking that some Bollywood jeejas enjoy VIP-level protection from this mysterious blockbuster formula.Of course, this is all in good humour, not an actual recipe for box-office success. But one thing is certain: Bollywood producers may soon need a special warning before casting a Jeeja!So, Dear Jeejas, stay safe. In Bollywood, your biggest threat may no longer be the villain — it could be the scriptwriter!