Brands
Varun Shah takes on global creative transformation lead role at Publicis Production
India lead expands remit to steer global production and scaled craft
MUMBAI: Varun Shah is adding a global brief to his growing remit at Publicis Production, stepping into the role of global creative transformation lead while continuing to helm responsibilities in India.
In his new position, Shah will focus on driving the next phase of production transformation, blending creativity, creators and technology to deliver work at scale. His mandate spans key markets including the US, UK and France, with delivery hubs across Canada, Colombia, Budapest and India.
Shah currently serves as managing partner at Publicis Production in India, where he leads the production centre of excellence across brands, aimed at unlocking the full power of the group’s capabilities in the market.
With over a decade in production and content, Shah’s journey has moved fluidly between advertising and cinema. Before his current stint, he held multiple leadership roles at Prodigious Worldwide, including managing partner and head of prodigious and content factory india, as well as executive vice president and senior vice president roles leading prodigious india.
His earlier innings saw him as executive producer at Dharma Productions, where he worked on the company’s foray into branded and digital content through its Dharma 2.0 initiative.
Shah’s foundation in storytelling was laid in independent cinema. He produced the critically noted Tu Hai Mera Sunday, which travelled to international festivals including the BFI London Film Festival and the Mumbai Film Festival.
From co-producing projects in New York to building production pipelines in India, Shah’s career has been shaped by a cross-border perspective. That global lens now sits at the heart of his new role, as Publicis Production looks to scale craft and creativity in an increasingly tech-led content ecosystem.
Brands
Škoda Auto India unveils ‘Easy to Love’ campaign for new Kushaq
Nostalgia meets humour as new SUV charms hearts with a Hindi cinema-inspired story
MUMBAI: Škoda Auto India, in collaboration with BBH India, has launched its latest integrated campaign, ‘Easy to Love’, celebrating the arrival of the new Škoda Kushaq. The campaign fuses nostalgia, humour and cinematic flair, drawing inspiration from the timeless Hindi cinema romance Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge to showcase just how effortlessly the Kushaq wins hearts.
Following teasers and a feature reveal aired during the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup, the main film now brings the car to life with an emotional narrative that positions it as aspirational, relatable and irresistible for modern SUV buyers in India.
Set against everyday urban backdrops, the film follows a corporate professional, a young woman and a family man who, on spotting the Kushaq, are whisked into dreamy mustard-field sequences inspired by the iconic tune from the Hindi cinema classic. Each whimsical daydream snaps back to reality, revealing the car as the spark behind the fantasy. The film concludes with sweeping shots of the Kushaq cruising through mustard fields while highlighting the SUV’s key features.
Škoda brand director Ashish Gupta said the campaign strengthens Škoda’s position in India’s SUV segment, combining safety, quality and driving dynamics with premium features accessible to a wider audience. He added that the narrative blends nostalgia with contemporary storytelling, cementing the Kushaq as both aspirational and approachable.
Propagate India and BBH India chief creative officer Parikshit Bhattaccharya noted that the campaign taps into cultural memory to dramatise the SUV’s appeal. By juxtaposing everyday moments with larger-than-life fantasy sequences, it shows how effortlessly people can fall for the new Kushaq.
‘Easy to Love’ is now live across television, digital, social, print, cinema, OOH and radio. The campaign will also expand into a social-first micro-drama series and brand collaborations designed to keep audiences engaged and deepen cultural resonance over time.
