JWT gives wings to Khaitan's new campaign

JWT has created a new music video for Khaitan fans, which has the agency's executive creative director Senthil Kumar don the director's chair, besides wearing the writer's hat.

The video captures the transformation of a windless day, where even paper kites won’t fly, to a really windy day, thanks to a bunch of kids who switch on Khaitan fans and generate wind that blows into the balconies and out in the open.

The resulting visual montage - shot by Tassaduq Hussain (Kaminey, Omkara) - sees curtains fly, dry chillies and spices overturn and lanterns bob in the air. Much to the kids' delight, it also helps propel hundreds of kites into the air creating a riot of colourful kites in the sky. Renowned kite-flying expert Azgar Ali was roped in to help fly the kites.

View the video here

The film, shot in Jodhpur, seems to give wind a new poetic language of sorts and has soundtrack by acclaimed musician Taufiq Qureshi. Interestingly, no musical instrument was used in the making of the soundtrack.

"Every single note, sound, rhythm and melody was created using vocal chords," says Kumar, commenting on the campaign. "Voices that rendered the wind blowing percussion included over a hundred instruments like: shehnai, bansuri, Himalayan pan flutes, tabla, bass drums, bass guitar, nadaswaram, ganjira, bangles and dholaks," he says.

He adds, "Each sound was designed to feel like the wind blowing at different levels across different spaces, while subtly highlighting the impact of the wind like the flutter of a paper kite and shivering leaves and swaying branches and the lilting bells of a lantern."

Khaitan has been marketing its fans in regional markets. "In cities, its all about air-conditioners these days. Fans are making their way into small towns. While the full-version of the film is airing on music channels and cinema halls and shorter versions of the film are being shown in eight languages," says Kumar.

PS: As requested by JWT, we've changed credits for Shamik Sengupta to 'Creative director'.

Credits

Agency: JWT India
Executive dreative director: Senthil Kumar
Creative director: Shamik Sengupta
Music director: Taufiq Qureshi
Director: Senthil Kumar
Producer: Ashvin Naidu
Director of photography: Tassaduq Hussain
Editor: Sally
Sound engineer: John Chitlapalli
Production house: Avakkai Films