MUMBAI, INDIA — Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) and Taproot Dentsu (A dentsuMB Company), the creative agency from dentsu India, have unveiled a very special film to encapsulate the emotions of millions of Indians who are bouncing back on their feet while navigating through the pandemic.
Serving joy and satisfaction in its 20 years’ long & illustrious journey, Honda Activa has become an integral part of the nation. As a true companion for millions of Indians, Activa has proudly witnessed their progression to the front seat. Motivated by our nation’s challenging spirit to keep moving forward in the face of countless challenges, Honda Activa has been by their side as a trustworthy and true companion.
‘India ke 2 Pahiye’, a film conceptualised by Taproot Dentsu, celebrates the never give up spirit of Indians who are resuming their routine – this time with life with hope, more confidence, and with their trusted companion Honda Activa.
The film captures a day in the new normal, post-pandemic life of India where people from different walks of life and professions return to lead their normal routine life which was affected due to the pandemic. The unique treatment of the film was to show various people in different geographies across India; how everyone is getting India back to its feet.
The film opens with an early morning shot of the town and aerial shot of sea waves, fishermen’s feet walking with the net towards their boat to earn their living, a morning started with a newspaper hitting a household door, the shots of a hockey player running towards a friend waiting on an Activa followed by the feet of blade runner taking his stance on track, a man putting on a mask & stepping out of the house with a voice-over in the background ‘Ye jo desh Hai na apna, isse koi nahi rok sakta, ye apne pairo par phir khada ho rha hai.’
The film moves further with a shot of a fisherman pushing his boat into the sea, a trader opening the lock of his shop, kids running towards the school with a teacher walking across, a lady with shopping bags walking the busy street, the voice-over plays in the background, ‘Apne apne gharo se ek chamach dhairya kha kar nikal rha hai.’
The visuals of factory employees walking the factory corridor, a farmer spraying pesticides on the farm, a hiker hiking the ice-clad mountains, a couple holding each other’s hand walking together showing that both are required to cover the journey called ‘Life’, with a voice-over, ‘Aaj India janta hai ki ye hum akele nahi kar sakte, kyunki zindagi ek pahiye par nahin, do pahiyon par chalti hai.’
The film moves on with the visuals of a health worker riding Activa, an air hostess walking with a trolley bag, a doctor walking the hospital aisle, an executive climbing the stairs and entering a lift, parading army jawans, students celebrating their graduation day with a voice-over, ‘Agar hum sab India ke do pahiye bankar Haath na mila sake toh kya, kandhe se kandha milaaaye Toh ek josh ki sena khadi kar sakte hai!’
The aim of the film is to motivate Indians to become the two wheels of the nation so that an army of confident Indians can be made who can fight any challenge and move India forward. The film ends with an army jawan (soldier) riding the Activa, summing up the fighting spirit of India and the role Activa has played in it with a voice-over, ‘Aap aur Activa – India ke Do Pahiye’.
The lyrics of the rousing song are:
‘Mera des dobara dekho jaag raha hai,
Mera des phir se dekho bhaag raha hai,
Aisi dharti nahin hai kahin,
Kaisi mitti se ye bani.’
Speaking on the campaign, Yadvinder Singh Guleria – Director, Sales & Marketing, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India said, “The campaign emphasizes upon India’s Diversity, Equality & Inclusivity in taking the nation forward amidst the challenges of the new normal post-pandemic. The idea was about ‘We not Me’ – showcasing how just like Activa, the nation & its active people together – ‘India ke 2 Pahiye’, are the two wheels of progress. The film salutes the spirit of all active Indians as they stand united to overcome these challenges. Ushering in the wave of positivity, the film showcase how each one of us in our own capacity, represent the resilience, determination and dedication with which our country is emerging stronger. In this journey, as a true & trustworthy mobility partner, Activa – the highest selling scooter brand in India, symbolises ‘India Ke Do Pahiye’ delighting millions of Indians.”
Titus Upputuru, Creative Head, Taproot Dentsu said, “Activa has been around for two decades & having by far the best visibility across length & breadth of the country. Activa is synonymous with the two wheels moving India. As we look at our country and how it is getting back into shape, we felt that actually all of us are contributing towards it by being the two wheels of India. Each one of us are doing our bit to get India back on its feet. This campaign is a salute to the relentless spirit of India and only a leader brand like Activa can do this kind of salutation. The brief was to capture this spirit & movement of India bouncing back. We went around shooting all kinds of actions on legs in our daily pursuit of living, which was an unusual experience for us!”
“This was a sort of catharsis for the agency and much beyond a brief. The task was not to just create a brand campaign for Activa, but almost write an ode to the indomitable spirit of India. The approach was ‘Simply to Amplify’ as Activa is loved by multiple generations of consumers across India and it was only fitting that a brand of Activa’s stature talked about how India and Indians are making a comeback after the most difficult times. The spirit of humanity to rise from a crisis and the spirit of every Indian to stride positively has been beautifully captured in the ‘India ke do pahiye’ concept,” added Abhinav Kaushik, Office Head, Taproot Dentsu.
CREDITS
Client: Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd.
Creative Agency: Taproot Dentsu
National Creative Director: Titus Upputuru
Creative Team: Titus Upputuru, Vishnu Das Kunchu, Akash Swami, Utsav Chaudhary, Dibakar Das
Planning Team: Samik Chatterjee
Executive Vice President, Account Management: Abhinav Kaushik
Vice President: Shiguma Shinohara
Client Servicing Director: Atul Rao
Account Director: Aakash Jain
Account Executive: Rishika Kakar
Films: Kriti Khandelwal
Director (of the film): Arun Francis
Producer: Murali Govindan
Production House: Film Dojo
DOP: Shivendu Kudalkar
Music: Micu Patel
Lyrics: Titus Upputuru
