Cars24 is taking an unconventional route with its latest brand campaign, casting its own CEO Vikram Chopra as the lead character rather than having him appear as himself. Developed by Talented in collaboration with Bang Bang Mediacorp, the campaign reimagines the classic Vikram-Betaal folklore, recasting the wise king as Chopra and using Betaal’s endless questioning as a stand-in for the curiosity car buyers bring to the platform.
The films weave the mythological duo into the world of buying and selling cars, with Betaal’s persistent queries mirroring the doubts and questions real consumers have when evaluating a new offering.
Chopra said he wanted to avoid the trap of companies becoming overly guarded as they grow, where leadership and messaging get flattened by committee approval. He described the idea as unusual and distinctly Indian, with a genuine truth underpinning it, and said brands should create more work that surprises and delights people.
Madhur Budhiraja, creative at Talented, explained that the concept grew from a simple insight, the idea of having Chopra play the wise King Vikram, before the team realised Betaal naturally represented the questioning consumer encountering something new. That evolution led to another first: a CEO taking on a full character role in advertising.
Director Ryan Mendonca of Bang Bang Mediacorp said the Vikram-Betaal stories were a formative part of his childhood, and building the campaign let him revisit them creatively. The production leaned into a deliberately kitschy jungle setting with exaggerated aesthetics, giving the team room to embrace an unconventional, playful tone throughout the shoot.
