Indian and international DoPs collaborate on Himalaya Pure Hands Namaste film, via 82.5 Communications
82.5 Communications Bangalore and professionals from around the world collaborate from their homes, to create a film on #ThePurestGreeting.
At a time when conversations around hand hygiene are of paramount importance, one of India’s best-known herbal healthcare brands, Himalaya, has spoken about their range of hand wash and sanitizer – Himalaya Pure Hands.
With extended lockdowns and social distancing, when conventional advertising seems difficult, Himalaya and 82.5 Communications have created a digital film that introduces the product to the world. And it does so, using #ThePurestGreeting – the ancient-Indian tradition of the Namaste, as a form of greeting.
The film is an ode to the Namaste, the traditional Indian greeting which has both spiritual and scientific dimensions to it. A soulful narrative runs through this unique film that has been shot, directed and edited remotely, spanning across several countries. Over 15 Indian and international DoPs collaborated on this film. With the Namaste, the film introduces us to the Pure Hands hand wash and sanitizer at the end with a reminder for everyone to ‘keep the distance but stay social.’
The director of the film, Shashank Chaturvedi, was clear he didn’t want to make another montage of user generated home-videos: “This idea deserved a film which was not a ‘usual lockdown film’. Didn’t want it to get lost in the sea of sameness. It had to have some finesse. The challenge was how to do it? We collaborated with many cinematographers and photographers across the world and asked them to take two shots in their environment with the people they were quarantined with. They were given a mood board so that the shots didn’t lose synergy with each other during the editing stage.”
Sumanto Chattopadhyay, Chairman and CCO, at 82.5 Communications said, “The Namaste is such a beautiful yet practical gesture with so many layers of meaning. It is wonderful to make this film for Pure Hands as a vehicle to spread the message of the Namaste—a message that is all the more meaningful during the pandemic.”
Philipe Haydon, CEO, The Himalaya Drug Company, said, “This film captures the beauty, essence, and great wisdom of our Indian greeting, Namaste. Today, as we practice social distancing, the phenomenal knowledge and wisdom of this greeting holds great value in our lives. At Himalaya, we have always been inspired by our rich heritage. We hope that this film spreads love and happiness as well as keeps you all safe. Stay safe, stay healthy. Namaste from our hearts at Himalaya to yours.”
CREDITS
Client: The Himalaya Drug Company
Agency: 82. 5 Communications
Chairman and CCO: Sumanto Chattopadhyay
CEO and Co Chairman: Kapil Arora
Head of Strategic Planning: Rishabha Nayyar
Executive Creative Director and Creative Head: Mayur Varma
Creative Directors: Rwitayan Mukherjee, Durga Bangde
Sr Vice President & Branch Head – South: Naveen Raman
Production House:
Good Morning Films
Director: Shashank Chaturvedi (Bob)
Directors of Photography: Tassaduq Hussain, Jason West, Kartik Vijay, Satchith Paulose, Lukas Linder, Maciej Puczynski, Mart Ratassepp, Sahil Kotwani, Linesh Desai, Modhura Palit, Vatsala Chopra, Odpal George, Sai Sanil, Archana Ghangrekar, Tushar Mehra, Arjun Mitra – Jakarta, Harsimran Kaur, Varun Vij
