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Watching Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur ride Royal Enfield’s Classic motorcycles across Europe is less an advertisement than an evocation of nostalgia, of journeys never taken, yet oddly familiar.
Set to a score by Rushil Ranjan, Abi Sampa and the Orchestral Qawwali Project, the commercial follows the royal scion astride the Classic 350, Classic 650 and Goan Classic 350, against backdrops stretching from Britain to Paris. There is no dialogue; the motorcycles carry the narrative, framed against Europe’s scenery.
The Classic series itself is steeped in history. Inspired by Royal Enfield machines of the post-war years, particularly the 1948 G2, it was reintroduced in 2009 with the 350 and 500cc variants. It has since become the firm’s most recognisable line, a retro-modern flagship combining heritage and style with a more refined version of the Bullet’s rugged experience.
By the way, Sawai Padmanabh Singh of Jaipur has earlier appeared in Royal Enfield’s Horse Power campaign, which premiered on July 8, 2024.
The ad, produced in collaboration with the 61st Cavalry, highlighted his polo background and drew parallels between the strength of the cavalry and the power of Royal Enfield motorcycles, emphasising a blend of tradition and modernity.
The timing of the new campaign is not incidental. It comes days after India’s goods-and-services tax was rationalised: motorcycles up to 350cc have shifted from the 28% to the 18% slab, making them cheaper. Larger 650cc models, by contrast, have become dearer.
Romance aside, the road ahead is shaped as much by policy as by legacy.
