MAM
This Raksha Bandhan ICICI Lombard shows that ‘Protection’ is not always a brother’s strength
MUMBAI: On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, ICICI Lombard, one of the leading non-life insurance companies in India, is celebrating the festival with the underlying message that ‘protection can come from anyone.’ The new digital campaign showcases how it is the sister who plays the role of protector, unlike what has been traditionally upheld.
Inherent in this campaign is ICICI Lombard’s core brand adage, ‘Nibhaye Vaade’. So, this Raksha Bandhan tie a rakhi on your sisters’ wrists too, as they can be the protector at times.
With today’s women venturing across all spectrum of business, sports, entrepreneurship, winning awards and touching new records, the campaign showcases the ‘promise of protection’ in a novel way. Today a rakhi is tied with a promise of mutual protection, without spelling out who the protector is, thus giving the deep-rooted protector-protected paradigm a required nudge.
ICICI Lombard’s new digital campaign drives the theme of ‘Raksha’ or ‘Protection’ that pivots around the paradigm of protection. Since human interest stories tug at one’s heartstrings, ICICI Lombard has opted for ‘storytelling’ as a medium of expression.
Set in the foothills of Northeast India, the film showcases a brother narrating the heroic stints of his ‘didi’. While buying ‘rakhi’ and ‘mithai’ for his ‘didi’, the brother recounts – how his sister saved him from bullies in school or empowered him to be brave enough to face hostility and threats in life. He then goes on to say that the first time she tied a rakhi, she told him that it was with the promise to ‘protect,’ between the two. It is only towards the end of film is when one realizes that his protector is none other than world champion boxer Mary Kom.
On the campaign, Sanjeev Mantri, Executive Director, ICICI Lombard, said, “On the campaign, Sanjeev Mantri, Executive Director, ICICI Lombard, said, “We are living in interesting times. Women are out in the world making a place and name for themselves. In this scenario, the festival of Rakshabandhan which symbolises the bond of a brother protecting the sister too needs to undergo a change When we discussed this emerging trend and how to communicate it effectively , we thought of none other than Mary Kom, who represents one facet of women power. And the story being narrated by her brother brings out the progressive yet emotional angle. Mary Kom represents the spirit of perseverance, discipline and determination and she protects – all the qualities which ICICI Lombard believes in, while endeavouring to deliver on its promises to its customers.”
Talha Mohsin and Mahesh Parab, Group Creative Directors, said "Doing a brand communication on Raksha Bandhan, a festival about keeping promises needs to be more than organic for ICICI Lombard. This year we wanted to make a statement as well, a progressive one. This campaign is a beautiful narrative of a brother, Khupreng Mangte and his sister that is a reflection of changing times. While shooting with Khupreng, we realized one thing, that his sibling stories reflected our sibling stories, his progressive outlook represented ours. The beauty about doing work that's a 'slice of life,’ is that it is a slice of everyone’s life."
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
