'Ziyomi' or 'Shiyomi'? Xiaomi recreates Roadies-style drama to decide

Xiaomi India's Diwali film is not a regular gifting sequel ad – it comes with a Roadies-style flashback thatwill take you straight to the early 2010s. Remember Devarshi, the Roadies contestant who went viral for surviving Raghu and Rajiv’s tough grilling? He’s back – this time, not for a task or vote-out, but for a debate that’s been dividing India for years: how on earth do you pronounce Xiaomi?

In a country where hundreds of languages and accents are spoken, mispronouncing brand names is a common occurrence. We’ve all heard our share of different pronunciations for Adidas, Nike, Audi and many other companies. And now, the "Ziyomi vs Shiyomi" showdown joins the list.

The video opens just the way you’d expect a Roadies episode: Raghu and Rajiv in their element, intense music in the background, and a contestant nervously trying to survive a simple question—“Diwali ke sabse acche deals kahaan milenge?” What follows is pure comedy: a heated argument over whether it’s Ziyomi or Shiyomi.

And right when things are about to blow up, Devarshi steps in to drop the truth bomb: “Chahe aap isse Shiyomi, Zaohmi, ya Shaomi bulao, hai toh Xiaomi sabka most trusted brand for latest tech. Aur iss Diwali, woh de rahe sabse biggest deals!”

For those unversed, Devarshi is now a comedian and much more confident after that 2008 audition. In fact, a few months ago, he also met Raghu and Rajiv to recreatesome parts of their iconic audition.

The film leans hard into mid-2010s TV nostalgia – dramatic zoom-ins, loud background scores, TV soap music and plenty of mock-serious expressions. In a way, it’s not about who’s right. It’s just a light-hearted reminder from the brand's side that no matter how you say it, everyone knows which brand you’re talking about. 

Speaking about the campaign, Ritij Khurana, head of brand, Xiaomi India, said, “For years, we’ve heard people pronounce Xiaomi in their own way, and we’ve loved every version of it. The idea behind this campaign was to turn a long-standing curiosity about how to say ‘Xiaomi’ into a celebration of brand love.

And if this sounds familiar, it’s because Zomato once did something similar – remember their ZoMaito vs ZoMaato campaign featuring Ranveer Singh and Chris Gayle that split the internet into two pronunciation camps? Xiaomi’s latest film feels like a fun callback to that.