Palmonas unites Shraddha Kapoor & Amrita Rao in one mangalsutra moment

Palmonas’ latest campaign film, starring Shraddha Kapoor and Amrita Rao, uses humour and cultural memory to challenge long-held ideas around marriage, jewellery, and personal choices.

The ad begins with Shraddha Kapoor, portraying herself, as she declines to endorse the signing of another brand ambassador. Her objection stems from instinct rather than contractual obligation. She questions how anyone else could authentically represent a brand to which she has such a strong connection.

What follows is a playful back-and-forth that drives the film. The disagreement soon turns into a cultural argument. A mangalsutra, the logic goes, belongs to a certain life stage. Shraddha may be the face of the brand, but she does not quite "suit" the category. 

As an unmarried woman, she is viewed as an improbable candidate for jewellery typically associated with marriage. This line of reasoning paves the way for a more conventional alternative.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Shraddha ✶ (@shraddhakapoor)

Amrita Rao enters the conversation as the obvious choice. For many viewers, Rao remains closely associated with Vivah (2006), where her role as a soft-spoken bride became a lasting image of marital femininity in popular culture.

One moment in particular—the gentle offering of water with the now-famous "jal lijiye"—has stayed alive far beyond the film, becoming shorthand for modesty, tradition and the idea of the ideal Indian bride.

By drawing on that reference, the film plays on shared memory. Rao is not just another actor here; she represents a long-held idea of who a mangalsutra is meant for.

Shraddha’s response pushes back against that idea. Why shouldn’t it suit her? She counters by listing the product itself: Palmonas’ nine-carat gold mangalsutra range, over 500 designs, starting at Rs 9,000, made for daily wear. The point is simple. If the jewellery is designed to be worn every day, why should it be limited to only one definition of marriage?

The humour comes from this flip. Tradition is not rejected but gently questioned. The ad’s closing turn shifts the focus away from who wears the mangalsutra to why it is worn at all. The ambassador, the film suggests, has not changed. The meaning has.

The campaign reflects Palmona’s wider positioning in India’s changing jewellery market. Founded in 2022 by Pallavi Mohadikar and Amol Patwari, the brand operates in the affordable fine jewellery space, focusing on nine-carat gold designs meant for everyday use. In March 2024, Shraddha Kapoor joined the company as a co-founder, moving her role beyond endorsement.

This approach places Palmonas within a slowly shifting market. India’s jewellery industry, estimated at over Rs 6 trillion, is still deeply rooted in tradition and occasion-driven buying. At the same time, many urban consumers are becoming more open to buying lightweight gold jewellery for personal use rather than ceremonial.

In this space, Palmonas competes with established, digital-first brands such as CaratLane, Bluestone, and Mia by Tanishq, all of which have tried to modernise jewellery buying through design, pricing, and access. Where Palmonas looks to stand apart is by questioning who traditionally 'owns' categories like the mangalsutra.

By placing Shraddha Kapoor opposite Amrita Rao, the film uses humour and familiarity to surface tension. The conflict is not settled through argument but through suggestion. The tone stays light, even as the question it raises is a serious one: can a symbol so closely tied to tradition be rethought as a personal choice?

Whether this shift changes buying behaviour remains to be seen. For now, the campaign points to where Palmonas believes the jewellery conversation may be going—away from inherited meaning and towards individual choice.