We had to craft a new safety video that represented the brand ethos of Air India and mounted it globally. It had to be engaging enough to capture the attention of its passengers through its runtime, speaking to both Indian and international audiences.

The safety video had to be intuitive for the millions of first-time flyers and impart the instructions in a crystal clear manner. It also had to seem familiar to Indian passengers, considering the country’s vast and diverse culture, while staying delightfully informative for the international audiences.

The creative device had to entertain and engage the audiences, speaking to audiences across Indian states and all over the globe. We chose one of India’s oldest forms of storytelling, its classical and folk dance forms, to capture the viewers’ imagination and command their attention over the entire runtime of the safety instructions. Each dance form had its own set of movements and gestures, known as “mudras”, that could portray the safety instructions in a delightful manner. We spanned the length and breadth of the country, ensuring that the diverse cultures and their respective dance forms were acknowledged. The visuals of safety instructions in sync with the dance mudras were underscored by an operatic, uplifting melody that honoured each individual dance style, thus creating a cinematic mosaic of art, music, and dance.

The safety video had to capture the attention of both domestic and international passengers, imparting the instructions to them in an uniequivocal manner. But more importantly, it had to command the attention of the first-time flyers to whom the safety instructions were vital.

We wanted the safety video to bolster the brand ethos of Air India, being that of a global airline with an Indian heart. While the film was primarily an in-flight asset, it also was an effective tool to showcase the brand’s message to the rest of the world. In addition to being aired on the airline’s domestic and international flights, the film was also deployed on online video platforms and social media channels.

We chose dance forms from various regions of the country, acknowledging their respective cultures and tradition. The dances were also chosen in accordance with their gestures, or “mudras”, being easily juxtaposed with portrayal of the safety instructions. The dance forms were shot against backdrops that brought out their respective heritage, be it a temple complex, palace courtroom, backwaters houseboat or harvest fields. The film was shot over an extensive production schedule that spanned two weeks, eight locations and a studio setup. It was shot with a crew consisting of 300+ members, which included lead and backup dancers, camera and lighting crew, hair & make-up, costume department, gaffers, production designers, CG artists, musicians, etc.

The visuals were brought to life by Grammy-award winning composer Shankar Mahadevan’s lilting score. The music was instrumental in holding together the different dance forms and cultures in an underlying melody. The melody, based on an Indian raga, was composed keeping in the mind the different dance forms in the film. The primary male vocals, which was the soul of the track, was accompanied by a range of Indian string instruments, percussions, and complementary backing vocals. Each of these accompanying elements corresponded to a different dance form, honouring its respective musical texture.

The safety film increased brand relevance in the category and among its consumers, who have always perceived Air India as the quintessential Indian airline with global ambitions. The film not only resonated with the nationwide audience, but also enthralled international viewers with its juxtaposition of dance forms and safety instructions.

The total timeline for the project spanned over 10 weeks. This included conceptualisation, scripting, pre-production, filming, post-production, and deployment.

The video was deployed on all Air India aircrafts, including the new fleet as well as the refurbished airplanes, for both domestic and international passengers to

The film created a positive impact on the business, driving a 20% uplift in the passengers preferring Air India for international flight bookings. Upon the first week of digital release, the film received a wide appreciation with over 12 million views and 4.1 million impressions. It also generated organic conversations on social & traditional media globally reaching 1.8 M community members, and 700+ organic brand mentions across ministries, publishers and editors, art and cultural influencers, aviation media, and the advertising community. Moreover, it also created an instant 48% dip in negative mentions as compared to the previous months, while aiding a 14% increase in category conversations.

The brand enjoyed a warm welcome back to the skies, with consumers perceiving it as the flagship Indian airline primed to take flight globally.