Yuvraj draws on real life experience in new Birla Sun Life TVC

The new commercial for Birla Sun Life Insurance once again draws on the star power of Yuvraj Singh and the gravitas of the line “Jab tak balla chal raha hai, thaat hai. Jab balla nahin chalega to…”.

The TVC, created by JWT India, is shot in a cricket ground. In a monologue, Singh recounts how after the glory of being part of a team that won the World Cup after 28 years, and being declared the Man Of The Tournament, life served him a googly. With a health affliction, he was out of the team. He points out that the fact of the matter is that life is fine for only as long as he is healthy and able to play well. The voiceover highlights Birla Sun Life Insurance’s Wealth Protection Solutions. It is believed that the campaign is inspired by an actual conversation that the brand’s team had with Singh.

Ajay Kakar, chief marketing officer – financial services, Aditya Birla Group, said, “Today's Indians have tasted never-before success in the early years of their working life. This unprecedented material success gives them the confidence and belief that the good times will continue, uninterrupted, and they will live and enjoy all their ambitious dreams, one by one.”

He added, “We have used Yuvraj Singh as our ‘philosophy ambassador’ to share his personal belief and experience - also a reality of life - that ‘Jab tak balla chaltha hai, thaat  hain. Jab balla nahin chalega tho...’  (‘You rule, only till your bat rules’). We aim to provoke and inspire mass India with the personal triumphs, trials and tribulations of Yuvraj, who like a phoenix, never accepts defeat. He just keeps working to combat the challenges that life and cricket have thrown his way, to bounce back."

Nandita Chalam, vice president and executive creative director, JWT India, said, “Over the years people have started associating the BSLI brand strongly with the concept of ‘Balla’.  The ad is set within a stadium, with Yuvraj sharing his story, talking to mass India through the camera, conversing in a real, true, down-to-earth manner. The tonality of the ad is candid, honest and more importantly, it connects.”

Creative agency: JWT India
Director for the film: Amit Sharma
Production house: Chrome Pictures
Media planning: Mindshare

JWT Team that worked on the film:

Creative: Tista Sen, Nandita Chalam, Dipesh Kowarkar, Siddharth Joglekar, Kunjika Talpade
Servicing: Samarth Shrivastava, Swati Bobde, Vineeta Sukhija, Amita Servaia
Planning: Rajesh Mehta