Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – As the ‘Deepavali’ or the Tamil festivity of lights or also known as ‘Diwali’ in Hindu tradition is fastly approaching on 4 November, utility firm Air Selangor has launched a new animated film to celebrate the festive season’s diverse cultural experiences, all through the perspective of a love story.
The film, created by agency Reprise Digital, follows protagonist Balan as he searches for the girl of his dreams. As he goes on his quest, Balan witnesses the myriad ways in which Deepavali is celebrated and learns to understand the different meanings of Deepavali for all those within the community.
Thanendran Thanesvaran, group commercial director and head of sports marketing at Reprise Digital, who also served as script writer for the film, explained that despite the film’s romantic theme, the backdrop really shows the idea of new experiences and togetherness manifested during the Deepavali festivities.
“The interesting thing we realised in this process is that different Indian communities have their own unique way of celebrating Deepavali, and each culture might not necessarily know much about another,” Thanesvaran stated.
The film was released on 25th October 2021 across digital platforms. It features seven different languages, including Indian languages Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati and Punjabi, something rarely done in a short film.
“While most festive films are longer, this was deliberately kept to under 3 minutes, with multiple languages used, to keep engagement up amongst all Malaysians. Though we had originally hoped to shoot it live, we hope the animation and lively music that has fused together different genres of Indian musical influences is one that will resonate with all Malaysians,” Thanesvaran added.
Meanwhile, Elina Baseri, head of corporate communication at Air Selangor, commented, “The greatest celebrations are those celebrated together, and Air Selangor is very pleased to share this message of community and hope to all Malaysians this Deepavali.”
She added, “The team at Reprise have portrayed a boy-meets-girl story that cleverly transcends cultures while showcasing the vibrancy of Indian cultures. From the story to the music used, the film breaks down cultural barriers and is a relatable one that we hope all of Malaysia will enjoy as much as we did in putting it together.”
