Asian Paints Sharad Samman brings back Gattu for Pujo campaign

MUMBAI: Kolkata asks one question every Pujo: “Ebaar jitbey?” (Who will win this time?). This year, Asian Paints Sharad Samman has a different answer. With its new campaign, ‘Mon Jitey Nilo’, and the return of Gattu, the brand argues that the best prize at Durga Pujo is not the one that sits on a shelf.

Every year, as Durga Pujo approaches, Kolkata transforms into a vibrant celebration of creativity, community and friendly rivalry. Paras come alive with plans, pandals take shape, and conversations inevitably turn to that one question.

Winning, redefined

Asian Paints Sharad Samman offers a different perspective on what it means to win during Pujo. Titled ‘Mon Jitey Nilo’, the campaign moves beyond the pursuit of awards to celebrate a more enduring victory: winning people’s hearts.

At the heart of the film is the return of Gattu, the much-loved Asian Paints mascot who has, over the years, become almost like a pet name, or daak naam, for Bengalis. Through Gattu, the film captures the familiar rhythms of a para preparing for Pujo: the planning, pandal-making, passionate discussions, unsolicited advice and collective effort that go into bringing extraordinary creations to life.

What lasts after the lights go out

Beneath the excitement and friendly competition lies a deeper sentiment. While awards recognise the effort and imagination behind a pandal, the memories that endure are the moments of wonder, pride and togetherness that communities create along the way. With Mon Jitey Nilo, Asian Paints Sharad Samman celebrates the joy of creating something meaningful together, reminding audiences that the most memorable victories are not always measured by trophies.

The film was conceptualised by Ogilvy and brings a heartfelt perspective to a celebration where the desire to create something exceptional goes hand in hand with the joy of coming together.

Four decades of Sharad Samman

The message carries weight because of the platform behind it. For over four decades, Asian Paints Sharad Samman has celebrated the imagination, craftsmanship and community spirit that make Kolkata’s Durga Pujo distinctive. The initiative recognises the creativity behind the city’s pandals while honouring the people and communities who bring these visions to life. Over the years, it has become an integral part of the city’s festive landscape, celebrating not just the spectacle of Pujo, but also the spirit behind it. A brand that has handed out recognition for that long is well placed to say that recognition is not the whole story.

What the creative lead says

Commenting on this year’s campaign, Sujoy Roy, chief creative officer, Ogilvy North, said: “This year we decided to bring back Gattu, who went from being an Asian Paints mascot to becoming practically a pet name (daak naam) for Bengalis. The film captures everything that makes a para tick during Pujo. The planning, the pandal-making, the unsolicited advice, and that one question everyone keeps asking: ‘Ebaar jitbey?’ For over four decades, Asian Paints Sharad Samman has been celebrating the extraordinary creativity that goes into making these pandals. And what’s fascinating is that it’s the younger people who are digging deeper into tradition. They’re not just inheriting culture. They’re busy reinventing it, one pandal at a time. And beneath all the excitement of winning a Sharad Samman lies something rather simple. The sheer joy of making something wonderful together. Because long after the lights fade and the festivities end, what remains are the moments of wonder, pride and togetherness that creativity leaves behind. That is the legacy of Asian Paints Sharad Samman.”

The point about younger people is worth noting. Roy’s argument is that the next generation is not merely preserving Pujo’s traditions but reinventing them, and the campaign speaks to that energy.

The closing thought

With Mon Jitey Nilo, Asian Paints Sharad Samman reinforces a sentiment at the heart of Pujo: while awards may recognise the effort that goes into creating a pandal, the true measure of that effort lies in the hearts it touches. Because sometimes, the most meaningful victories are the ones that cannot be measured by a trophy.

Credit list

Client: Asian Paints
Asian Paints team: Ashish Rae, Karan Kapoor, Manan Choksi, Maroof Shaikh
Agency: Ogilvy India
GCCO (Ogilvy India): Sukesh Nayak, Kainaz Karmarkar, Harshad Rajadhyaksha
CEO: VR Rajesh
CCO (Ogilvy North): Sujoy Roy
Creative team (Ogilvy): Tushar Masurkar, Arnab Manna, Komal Ranjan, Arindam Lahiri, Rantideb Mukherjee, Shrabana Datta
Account management (Ogilvy): Ajay Menon, Dharal Goshalia, Abhishek Kulkarni, Rupali Shriram
Planning: Prem Narayan, Samhita Chaudhuri, Namita Gupta
Production house: East India Film Company
Director: Shayak Dady Roy
Executive producer: Nishant Roy
Producer: Saurabh Mukherjee