Daawat Basmati plays an endearing role, as the unique Indian expression of love

LT Foods has unveiled a campaign for its flagship brand Daawat Bamati Rice, starring Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan. Lowe Lintas has conceived the ad film.

The film shows Bachchan talking about the ‘language’ of love as practised in India. He refers to it as being ‘advanced’, where people don’t just express their love in words, but show it in action (Bolte nahin, banate hain). Interspersed with his narrative are a couple of stories. A couple stop short of hugging when the man returns home because of their young daughter in the room. But their love for each other is expressed at the dinner table, when the lady serves him food (rice). Bachchan goes on to say that Indians are not used to hugging, while the film shows a foreign girl greeting her boyfriend’s Indian mother with a big hug, much to the latter’s uneasiness. He adds that Indians embrace from the heart, as the mother serves the young couple food. Another scene shows a couple at the table, using food as the conduit for making up after a fight – the rice they serve each other breaks the ice. A woman is shown packing lunch, as Bachchan says, “Every day, we send and receive love in a tiffin box,unlike some boring SMSes.” He adds that Indians are even trying to understand the meaning of ‘reverse love’, while a man is shown cooking for his wife. Before leaving to serve some Dawat to his wife, who has gone to sleep after waiting up for him, he says, “Pyaar ki special bhasha– Dawat (The special language of love – Dawat.” 

Vivek Chandra, CEO, LT Foods, said, “Daawat Basmati Rice understands the importance of rice in a family’s meal. Daawat Basmati has taken a step further and created a unique range of basmati rice for different dishes and cuisines. These grains are specifically picked, processed and packed, so that consumers can bring out the subtle wonder of each dish they prepare. This TVC strengthens the brand ethos by talking about the role a great dish plays in our life and how it helps us to express love.”

R Balki, chief creative officer and chairman, Lowe Lintas, said, “We Indians though a little shy, a little introvertish, express our love uniquely through food. Rice being at the centre of our food shoulders the responsibility of this expression of love. Daawat is the finest Basmati... the finest vehicle for this expression. Thus the concept of ‘Pyaar ki special bhasha’ and who better than ‘Amitabh Bachchan’ to remind us about our expression of love through food, which he does with his inimitable touch of humour.”

The TVC went on air on 27 November across channels, and the brand will adopt a 360-degree communication strategy.

Credits

Chief creative officer and chairman: R. Balki

National creative director: Amer Jaleel  

President (creative): Deepa G  

Executive creative director: Shriram  

Unit creative director: Shayondeep Pal, Mohit Arora  

Creative director: Manzoor Alam, Ira Gupta

Director: Shoojit Sircar

Production house: Rising Sun Films Production

Account management: Naveen Gaur, Nikhil Mahajan, Dallbir Singh, Naman Pal  

Planning: Naresh Krishnaswamy