Mumbai: Directed by popular Indian filmmaker Shoojit Sircar and conceptualised by DDB Mudra Group, Meta announced the launch of a new digital film, Yeh Kaun Sa Fest Hai Bhai, under its ongoing campaign, "Where can’t we go together" campaign that started earlier this year. The film highlights how Meta’s (formerly Facebook's) apps—Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram—help people and communities progress.
Featured in the film is a slice-of-life story of a group of enthusiastic college students who have never experienced the tough job of organising a college festival. Believed to be a rite of passage for any college student in India, this is something that went on hold during the pandemic. The emotional storytelling with relatable characters showcases the strength of the human spirit against the backdrop of one of the largest cultural moments in the life of the youth of India.
Speaking on the launch of the campaign, Sircar said, "Certain moments of one’s youth remain as memories across a lifetime. Organizing a college festival with friends is one such experience, and that is what resonated with me when I first read the script. Pallavi Chakravarti and Neeraj Kanitkar; the creatives and I brainstormed ways to capture that unbridled spirit of youth—an almost childlike belief in the ability to achieve anything, together—in this film."
While filming, my constant brief to the bunch of young and enthusiastic actors was to keep alive a strong, serious desire to make the festival a success despite all the ups and downs, and it is that youthful innocence that we have tried to encapsulate through this film. I am thankful that the team has decided to play the long version, which I believe captures the essence of the film in its entirety," he added.
Elaborating on the concept, DDB Mudra Group creative head - West Pallavi Chakravarti said, "For the team working on this project, it was above all a trip down memory lane. We thought back to how organising college festivals and participating in them had been integral to our formative years - how it made us network, connect with people (sometimes for life), make leaders out of the most reticent among us, and bring our talents to the fore. Imagine if we had been powered by social media back then—what the same passion, the same ambition, and the same curiosity could have led to had Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp been the wind beneath our wings. The result of this nostalgic journey is a classic underdog story that we hope will make you as happy as it did us."
