MAM
Amitabh Bachchan promotes The Muthoot Group’s Xandari Resorts & Spa in new campaign film
Mumbai: The Muthoot Group has launched its latest marketing campaign, featuring veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan, advocating for its leisure and hospitality properties, Xandari Resorts & Spa. Underlining The Muthoot Group’s commitment towards the three C’s – community, collaboration, and conservation, the film is anchored by Mr. Bachchan, who has been The Muthoot Group’s brand ambassador for the past six years.
Recognizing the shift in consumer’s holiday experiences over the past few years, The Muthoot Group’s Xandari Resorts is a genuine reflection of going beyond the conventional and providing consumers with an experience of a lifetime. In the film, Mr Bachchan plays a wise family elder guiding his family to a perfect getaway with Xandari Resorts & Spa, ensuring every family member experiences a dream holiday of their choice.
Part of The Muthoot Group’s 20 diversified business divisions, Xandari Resorts is the hospitality brand of Muthoot Leisure & Hospitality Services. Based on its belief that hospitality can not only improve quality of life but also be good for natural and cultural environments, The Muthoot Group acquired Xandari Resorts & Spa, one of Costa Rica’s most successful properties in 2013 to partner with local communities to conserve, protect and replenish the environment.
The promotional film is a mix of cinematic storytelling highlighting the luxurious Xandari chain of boutique resorts including Xandari Pearl in Mararikulam that offers luxurious private pool villas and the best of white sand beaches, Xandari Riverscapes Houseboats in Alleppey to enjoy Kerala’s backwaters, Xandari Cardamom County adjoining the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady for a forest reserve experience, and the Xandari Costa Rica to experience rainforest, natural waterfalls, nature treks, orchards, as well as farms, all within the resort.
Xandari Resorts & Spa MD George M George said, “We are excited to feature Mr. Amitabh Bachchan in The Muthoot Group’s new film because it brilliantly showcases our Xandari Resorts and captivates our audience with sustainable and luxury hospitality. Consumers today seek out holiday experiences that transcend the ordinary and we are dedicated to provide each of our guests with experiences and memories that last a lifetime. At Xandari, we also want to pioneer a sustainable chapter in tourism, by upholding our core principles – community, conservation and collaboration. The idea was to capture the essence of responsible tourism with Xandari’s unparalleled fusion of luxury and a unique farm-to-table experience. I also feel that Mr. Bachchan’s presence has elevated the Xandari brand to a whole new level and I am sure this content will get us tremendous interest worldover. At Xandari Resorts & Spa, we invite travelers to immerse themselves in the beauty of nature while indulging in world-class hospitality.”
The Muthoot Group Sr general manager – marketing Abhinav Iyer said, “Mr Bachchan has been The Muthoot Group’s brand ambassador for many years now and with a legend like him, we have been keen to create tailor-made content for our leisure & hospitality division for quite some time now. Xandari Resorts is a jewel in the Group’s crown and hence with this film, we have attempted to create a strong desire for Xandari Resorts leveraging a cinematic approach. We plan to promote this film widely across digital and other mainstream mediums in addition to national & international events, exhibitions and travel & tourism meets.”
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
