Keroscene Films Introduce Us To 'The Sons Of Vikrant'

We’re all used to advertising content telling us how their product will make us feel, improve our life or solve our particular set of problems. However, it’s rare that the crux of a campaign hinges on what the product is made of - that’s normally just an added bonus. For the involved and engaging campaign for ‘V’, the new bike from Indian manufacturers Bajaj, what the product is made of is at the core of it’s content… but that’s because what it’s made of is the INS Vikrant, India's most famous aircraft carrier.

Telling the story of the carrier through interviews with the men who sailed on her, 'The Sons Of Vikrant' (in particular, the 16-minute full cut) does a wonderful job of conveying an insight into the importance of the Vikrant’s history. Brilliantly recognising that one of the core benefits of ‘branded content’ is the ability to tell customers a story that can’t be summed up in a 30-second spot, agency Leo Burnett and production company Keroscene Films give the production the attention and polish of a high-class documentary, creating a genuinely significant historic tale.

We were delighted by the film, it’s creation and the characters it contained (not to mention the clear award-buzz around it), so spoke to director Rajesh Saathi about its creation.

How did you get involved in the ‘Sons of Vikrant’ project?

The agency Leo Burnett India called me and told me about the Vikrant project that was in the planning for more than a year, 17 months actually. They had come up with the brilliant idea of forging the steel of India’s iconic war hero ship ‘Vikrant’ into the new motorbikes from India’s leading manufacturer, Bajaj. It was a highly confidential project and I feel privileged that they chose me.

Had you heard of the INS Vikrant before? How ingrained is it in Indian culture?

Almost everyone in India has heard of the INS Vikrant. It is India’s first aircraft carrier and has been the pride of the nation. A war hero that played a pivotal role in the creation of Bangladesh during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. She was referred to as mother by the officers who served on her and her sons were conferred with 12 Vir Chakras and 2 Mahavir Chakras - Indian gallantry awards. Like millions of Indians I too visited the INS Vikrant whilst it was a museum. There may be bigger and better ships but there will never be another Vikrant. The decision to rip her apart sent shock waves throughout the country.

How did you start to put the project together? How did you find the ‘sons’ for the interviews?

Oh that was a tedious process and required a lot of research. The agency and production house partnered beautifully in making it happen. It was a confidential project and had a very limited and trusted team working on it. It had to be released with a bang and take the nation by storm, which it did.

What was the goal of the agency/brand? Were there many stipulations into what you had to cover or did it come together organically?

Well if I may speak on behalf of the agency, the spirit was of patriotism first and marketing later. Each and every one working on the project felt for the cause of giving Vikrant a rebirth, rather than allowing it to fade away unsung and un-honored. Having said that, it cannot be denied that this is a brilliant marketing strategy pushing Bajaj V to historic heights as the most sought after motorbike in the country, creating a 500 million dollar brand. Everything fell into place organically. Vikrant and its story was directing me rather than the other way around.

Where did you shoot the interviews? How did you prepare for them?

The interviews were shot in the respective homes of the war veterans. They were spread across India. After extensive research , we set up a questionnaire that we started with but then it became free flowing, allowing them to open up and share their experiences and stories that have never been told before.

How did you source the archival footage? It’s a real treasure trove?

Again the most important thing when documenting history is RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH. We went through hours and hours of footage at Films Division of India, newspapers archives and even sources that have shut shop.

The full doc comes in at 16:44 – a bit longer than a conventional ad ;-) Were you given any guidance as to length?

Well at first a 60 second announcing the launch of the bike forged with invincible spirit of Vikrant was released on television, then a 3-minute video “Sons of Vikrant” was released which was also heavily shared and trended on twitter etc. Seeing the response to it and the resultant pre-orders for the bike, the client at Bajaj decided to release the full version of 16 minutes and 44 seconds on national T.V. That itself is historic for Indian advertising. I am just very happy and proud that Vikrant and her sons got their due.

How was putting together the edit? Was there a lot of footage to work though?

Yes there was a lot of footage and earlier we thought that we will have a 3 minute combined version and then short videos of individual stories but then it organically started flowing into a continual story with a gripping screenplay. I don’t think the editors went home for a month; hope they changed their underwear though ☺.

Is it a different process making content like this over more conventional advertising? Is it something you think will become more prevalent in India?

Yes, I would differentiate it like a supermarket and a bazaar. Conventional advertising is like a supermarket, very planned. You know exactly where everything is kept and what you are going to get. But this kind of content is like a bazaar; you never know what you may find. You may end up with a magic lamp and a genie.

India is evolving with the largest population of youth in the world having the second largest mobile phone users. Even Mark Zuckerberg said he believes India will be crucial in getting the next billion online. With such an influx towards digital and social networks it is obvious that such content will become more prevalent. It’s unstoppable.

What were your influences? We got a great ‘Band Of Brothers’ vibe from the content and musical choice.

I have grown up watching war movies from Bridge on the River Kwai to Saving Private Ryan and reading graphic war comics like Commando. I think the greatest war epic is Mahabharata. I guess these were my influences. 

What did you learn from making the film?

The experience of spending time with the sons of Vikrant and listening to all their stories including many that didn’t make it to the final cut due to time restriction was a transformative process. Not only for me but for everyone involved. These men are made of a different mettle and deserve a lot more respect and gratitude from the people of our country. I hope it inspires more youth to serve the nation. It was an overwhelming and humbling experience.

The project has a good buzz around it going in to Cannes – what are your hopes for the award season?

It’s a project made with great intent. Hope it does well at Cannes. The Chief Creative Officer Raj Deepak Das and myself collaborated on “Shave sutra” for Gillette, which won 2 Silvers at Cannes. I hope we can better that tally this year. 

What’s up next for you?

I am working on a project for India’s leading yoga center Isha Foundation, to increase the awareness of International day of Yoga on 21st June. Then on an inspiring project for the Paralympic games 2016 in Rio.