Several comedians have made Bollywood spoofs of the series. Nakuul Mehta, among India’s most-popular TV actors, shared a Jon Snow-esque poster, counting down to the new season. Bars across the country have planned quiz nights and screenings, as well as more outlandish events such as “Holding the door open like Hodor.” Indian pop artist Raghav Sachar has released his rendition of the theme.

Oreo is launching limited-edition GoT cookies in the West—and Indian Twitter wants to taste it, too. Other GoT partner brands like Mountain Dew, Bud Light, Adidas, makeup brand Urban Decay, and Johnnie Walker have not yet brought their themed merchandise to the world’s second most populous nation.

While this obsession is cause for celebration, the makers pay a hefty price for it: piracy. GoT is the world’s most pirated show. Back when the fourth season was airing, four Indians were arrested for leaking it. Before Hotstar bagged the rights to it in 2016, viewers in India could only watch the episodes by downloading them off the internet to avoid all the cuts made for Indian TV. Until last year, Mumbai and Bengaluru featured among the top piracy hotspots for the series.

Committed fans now pay for Hotstar. And it’s not only to stream GoT.

Tees, cups and more

Online retailers Myntra, Redwolf, Souled Store, and Voxpop, which sell official GoT merchandise such as T-shirts and coasters in India, are now cashing in on the fever.

“We are currently recording over 250 orders a day for GoT merchandise, and expect this to go up significantly as the season begins,” Myntra told Quartz in an email.

Last December, fashion designer Masaba Gupta bagged the rights to create official GoT merchandise in India.

It will be rush hour for these merchants as they scramble to cater to new demand with each new episode.

“Every episode has a quote which starts trending on social media and becomes a big deal. Last year, ‘I drink and I know things’ was a very big deal,” said Redwolf founder Ameya Thakur, referring to the dialogue made famous by one of the show’s protagonists, Tyrion Lannister. “Within a couple of days of an episode airing, we put out the new designs.”

Key characters from the show have their own following in India. Among Myntra customers, “Tyrion and House of Stark T-shirts were a favourite among men, while women picked Khaleesi.”

However, as the show readies to wrap up its final season in just six episodes instead of the customary 10, some fans are concerned whether it will be able to meet their expectations. “I feel I’m going to be a little underwhelmed,” says Hyderabad resident Amulya Chintaluri. “There are just so many loose ends to tie up, and so little time.”

But come Monday, she’ll still be up at the crack of dawn, sitting in front of the screen dressed in her Targaryen T-shirt, ready to find out if the royal houses of Westeros can put aside their internecine conflicts and take on the White Walkers and their dead dragon before human civilisation is brought to an end. 

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