Kingfisher’s Diwali film taps Bhojpuri homecoming

Kingfisher Strong Power Soda has rolled out a Diwali brand film that swaps broad festive clichés for a specific Uttar Pradesh ritual: the annual homecoming. Created with agency Collective and music composer Tanishq Seth, the film follows a young working professional who gets a nudge from friends, returns home, and ends the night in a rooftop reunion.

“Diwali is a time to come together with the people who matter most,” said Vikram Bahl, chief, United Breweries Ltd.

01 · A group-chat text becomes the story

The pivot is a message that many from Uttar Pradesh will recognise: “Aa rahe ho na? Sab aa rahe hain” — you’re coming, right? Everyone is. The protagonist shuts his laptop, journeys back to familiar streets and faces, and closes the film sharing laughter with old friends.

02 · Bhojpuri folk, thumri score and AI visuals

What makes the execution stand out is the cultural layering. The track is an original thumri-inspired composition by Tanishq Seth, built with Collective, and the film draws on Bhojpuri folk traditions from Uttar Pradesh. The campaign also uses AI-generated visuals, giving the piece a stylised regional texture.

• Cultural anchor: the homecoming ritual specific to Uttar Pradesh.
• Musical form: a thumri-inspired score instead of a generic festive jingle.
• Craft choice: AI-generated visuals support the folk aesthetic.
• Brand payoff: the story lands on Kingfisher’s “Good Times” promise.

03 · Why this matters in festival clutter

Diwali advertising is crowded with diyas, rangoli and interchangeable family scenes. Kingfisher’s film is a useful counter-example: it begins with a ritual people actually organise travel around, then backs it with local music and a regional visual language. The sequence matters. Insight first, cultural format second, AI-enabled craft third.

For brand leaders, the sharper test is whether a campaign is recognisably owned. A thumri-inspired score and Bhojpuri cues are harder to copy than another diya shot. They also give the brand’s long-running “Good Times” line a specific place to land.

04 · What brand teams can borrow

For marketers planning the next festive cycle, the film offers a repeatable structure. Name the regional ritual your audience already practises. Pick a folk or musical form that carries that ritual. Use AI to add production scale without flattening the cultural detail. Then attach the brand promise at the emotional peak, not as an afterthought.

The real takeaway is that a hyperlocal ritual, executed with a distinctive soundtrack and modern craft, can make a crowded category feel personal again.

Source: Afaqs!

Mad About Marketing Desk The strategists and writers at Mad About Marketing, writing up what we see in the work every week.