Manjot Singh, Ali Fazal of 'Fukrey' fame prank call Saurabh Shukla in new brand film

Acko General Insurance has launched a digital campaign that talks about the 'right' thing to do during the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown. With the campaign #ParkedCarsCanRunFamilies, the brand is trying to convey the message that savings made from not using one’s car during lockdown can go a long way in supporting the families of one's household help. The film has been conceptualised by Leo Burnett Orchard.

The video uses humour to get its message across and features popular faces, like Saurabh Shukla as the landlord, Manjot Singh and Ali Fazal (of 'Fukrey' fame) as neighbours and tenants.

The video starts with a banter between the two neighbours as they are sad about being unable to use their cars lately. It then turns into a thoughtful message when they decide to call their landlord, who is seen making a salary transfer to his driver by using the money he has saved on petrol (by not using his car).

Speaking of the campaign's ideation, Nitin Khanna - AVP marketing, Acko General Insurance, says, “The COVID-19 lockdown has forced a lot of families into severe financial crisis, especially those of daily wage earners and household help, as they don’t have savings, like many of us, to rely on.”

“April was the first full month in lockdown where they did not work in households, and we could all see real conversations happening around us - in our societies, apartments and networks - on whether to pay them their regular salaries, or not. Our campaign taps into this insight and urges people to be compassionate in supporting those who have supported us in running our households with a simple idea - savings from every parked car in the nation can play an important role in running the families of maids, drivers, cooks, cleaners and other household help,” he added.

Talking about the production of the film, Khanna shares, “As there was a complete lockdown across the country, the film was put together in fairly unchartered territory - something that none of us, including the director and actors, had tried before. Everything was remotely managed - from getting the celebs on board to briefing calls to figuring out the lighting and ambient sounds. Things sometimes get out of hand even when we are physically present on set, so we were initially a bit apprehensive about how things would pan out remotely. But all the three celebs, who are fantastic natural actors, took it in their hands, and along with the director, creative agency and the production team, we were able to pull this off with elan.”