PepsiCo's New Digital Film Brings Back the Joy of #GharWaliDiwali

NEW DELHI, October 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

- In an Always Connected World, Director Vikramaditya Motwane Captures the Significance of a Diwali at Home  

- PepsiCo's New Film Brings Families Closer With a Reminder of the Joy of a #GharWaliDiwali  

- Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ7lMDWJOXA 

How many times do you pick up the phone to tell Ma you won't be coming home for the holidays because you have a deadline at work, or have plans with friends? Do you instantly regret the decision, miss the good old days of holiday fun, getting together and sharing lip-smacking goodies with the whole family? PepsiCo's latest - a heart-warming short film, directed by Vikramaditya Motwane of Udaan fame and featuring National Award winning actress Geetanjali Thapa - takes you back to the simple joys of #GharWaliDiwali

Aimed at the millennials, who are always on the go and while always connected through technology sometimes miss out on physical proximity to their families, the film is a reflection of life in today's busy world and the joys of a homecoming for Diwali. As an extension to the thought, PepsiCo is also enabling consumers to send some love home to their families in the form of Manish Arora designed Kurkure gift packs with a personalised message. The campaign further urges consumers to share what they love and miss the most about their #GharWaliDiwali, promising a surprise for lucky winners with the best, most heart-warming stories.

After the hugely popular #BackToSchool film, which was directed by Abhishek Kapoor, PepsiCo has roped in more famous faces to this video in the form of director Vikramaditya Motwane and National Award winning actress Geetanjali Thapa.

Geetanjali Thapa, who's played the lead in the video, says, "I felt a strong connect with the protagonist of the film, as PepsiCo has captured a very intrinsic emotion we all feel but rarely express or do much about. I hope more and more people who see this film will find ways to rejoice in a #GharWaliDiwali."

The film, live on Pepsi India's Youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/pepsiindia), showcases the constant virtual connectivity with our families that has become intrinsic to our lives, with Geetanjali playing a young working mother. Geetanjali, who stays in a different city with her husband and a young daughter, reaches out to her parents over video calls, social media networks and frantic speed dial calls, asking for advice, sharing her dilemmas, confirming recipes and seeking instructions on how things work. Her parents who are always happy to lend a ear or offer a word of comfort, however, are disappointed when she declines to come home for Diwali, the second year in a row. What ensues is a barrage of calls from Geetanjali to her parents, which receive no response. To find out what happens next, view the film.

PepsiCo India's Head of Digital Marketing, Rishi Dogra says, "The joy of celebrating any occasion with your family is unmatched. This Diwali, we wanted to cherish this affectionate bond and help people relive these moments which often get missed in our always on and virtually connected lifestyle. With the film, which has been beautifully created by Vikramaditya Motwane, consumers are sure to experience some long lost nostalgic moments. We are also looking forward to consumers sharing these moments of #GharWaliDiwali and have planned some exciting surprises for those with the most engaging stories."

"India has become mobile and dynamic. We have moved out of homes and travelled the roads in quest of our dreams, our careers, our lives. Technology has been an ally and has brought our families closer. We feel we are connected. Maybe sometimes, we start taking this for granted. Specially during Diwali. Nothing can replace the love and warmth of homecoming. Over food, drinks and merrymaking. This is what this film is all about. It's a calling to all of us to come home," says Babita Baruah, Sr.VP & Executive Business Director, JWT. 

"For me, this story has been an attempt to reconstruct an emotion that haunts me every Diwali. It's such an emotional festival because we've all grown up attaching all sorts of rituals to it but the way we celebrate it these days is so functional,so convenient that it takes the joy away - leaving you feeling lonelier than ever. I just wanted people to make the effort, take the trouble to celebrate it like you remember it. At home with your folks and not over the phone," says Sonia Bhatnagar, Executive Creative Director, JWT.

Creative Details:  

• Agency : JWT Delhi
• Sr. Vice President : Babita Baruah
• Executive Creative Director : Sonia Bhatnagar
• National Planning Director : Mythili Chandrashekhar
• Vice President : KRK Ganesh
• Films : Mandeep Singh, Adil Jain
• Production House : Red Ice Production
• Director : Vikramaditya Motwane

For a lot more excitement, visit Pepsi's Facebook page:http://www.facebook.com/PepsiIndia or Twitter handle:http://www.twitter.com/PepsiIndia

About PepsiCo India 

PepsiCo entered India in 1989 and has grown to become one of the largest MNC food and beverage businesses in India. PepsiCo India has been consistently investing in the country and has built an expansive beverage and snack food business supported by 37 beverage bottling plants and 3 food plants. PepsiCo India's diverse portfolio includes iconic brands like Pepsi, Lay's, Kurkure, Tropicana 100%, Gatorade and Quaker. Within 2 decades, the company has been able to organically grow eight brands, each of which generate Rs. 1,000 crore or more in estimated annual retail sales and are household names, trusted across the country.

PepsiCo India is driven by its global commitment to sustainable growth, Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo's promise to provide a wide range of foods and beverages from treats to healthy eats; to find innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment by conserving energy and water and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our associates; and to respect, support and invest in the local communities where we operate. In 2009, PepsiCo India achieved a significant milestone, by becoming the first business to achieve 'Positive Water Balance' in the beverage world, a fact verified by Deloitte Touché Tohmatsu India Pvt. Ltd. The company has been Water Positive since then. For more information, please visit http://www.pepsicoindia.co.in

Media Contact: Vidushi Khera, [email protected], +91-9810498106, Senior Consulting Associate, Genesis Burson Marsteller