Apple and Raw Mango step into Diwali light on iPhone 18 Pro
Apple's Step Into the Light, shot on iPhone 18 Pro with Raw Mango and Juhi Chawla, is a Diwali craft piece that looks stunning but plays it safe.
Our score: 7/10 · Apple, “Apple & Raw Mango capture India's festive spirit in new Shot on iPhone film”
Verdict: A beautiful, craft-led Diwali film that lets Raw Mango's aesthetic lead while the iPhone 18 Pro stays behind the lens.
What works
- Low-light cinematography at f/1.48 makes the dance sequences luminous and specific
- The textile story grounds the film in Indian festive craft instead of cliche
- The folk version of Roop Suhana Lagta Hai gives the film instant nostalgia
What misses
- The product never appears as the hero; it could pass for a Raw Mango fashion film
- The borrowed 90s track adds warmth but not a distinctive Apple voice
The lesson: When a tech brand partners with a craft label, keep one unmissable product moment or the collaborator owns the story.
01 · The ad
Apple’s Diwali campaign Step Into the Light stars Juhi Chawla, was created with Indian fashion label Raw Mango, and was directed by Raw Mango founder Sanjay Garg. The film was shot entirely on the iPhone 18 Pro and released on 4 November on Apple’s global Instagram account and Apple India’s YouTube channel. The agency was TBWA\Media Arts Lab (India), with April Studios as the production company and Heckler on post-production.
Set at Tijara Fort in Rajasthan, the film uses dancers from across India, textiles such as Chanderi, Mashru and Varanasi brocade, and a folk interpretation of Anu Malik’s ‘Roop Suhana Lagta Hai’ to move from darkness into light.
02 · What works
The craft is real. The iPhone 18 Pro’s 48MP Fusion Main camera, variable aperture and smart focus tracking are presented through visible production choices, not a spec sheet. Shooting much of the film at f/1.48 gave the low-light dance sequences a shallow depth of field that isolates individual dancers, exactly what director of photography Janamejaya Daroz describes as the key to drawing attention in the frame.
The collaboration also gives Apple a genuinely Indian voice. The textiles, the fort and the choreography are specific, not a generic festive collage, and the folk version of a 1990s hit gives the film an easy nostalgic pull.
03 · What misses
For a technology brand, the phone stays very quiet. This could pass for a beautiful Raw Mango fashion film; the product is present only as the camera that made the work, never as an object or an idea inside the story. The result is culturally rich but brand-muted.
The borrowed song also works emotionally without giving Apple a distinctive festive hook. It feels like Raw Mango’s aesthetic wearing Apple’s device, rather than Apple stepping into the light with a point of view.
04 · The verdict
Score: 7/10. A quietly luxurious, craft-led Diwali film with real low-light credentials, but it hands too much of the spotlight to its collaborator.
05 · The lesson
When a tech brand partners with a craft label, keep one unmissable product moment or the collaborator owns the story.
Watch the original: Apple on YouTube. Shown for review; the rights stay with the brand.
Source: Afaqs!
