Mumbai: Gillette India’s latest ad film narrates the true story of social entrepreneur Prashant Gade, whose real-life journey is an encouraging example for young Indians to go beyond the expectations of society and redefine our truest possibilities.
In 2018, Prashant opted out of a high-paying engineering job to create the world’s most affordable bionic arm.
The thought-provoking commentary on societal notions limiting our potential is a theme of its ongoing campaign #ShavingStereotypes.
The newest edition of the shaving stereotypes campaign, titled #EngineeringChange urges young Indian students to introspect and rethink how education can be a stepping stone for changing more than just their own lives. In line with its global mission of inspiring ‘The Best a Man Can Be’, the film authentically portrays the one-dimensional perspective with which many people treat their education and degrees.
The featured true story serves as an example to convey the brand’s message: every one of us can meaningfully contribute to our communities, we just need to be aware of our true potential.
Today, he has changed the lives of several people with disabilities, by inventing and manufacturing a low-cost prosthetic limb that’s accessible to all. In doing so, he has redefined his purpose and taken the unconventional road to bring to life his true potential, shaving stereotypes and challenging norms to inspire future generations to follow.
Conceptualised by Grey India, the film reflects on Prashant’s real-life journey, showing how he faced the harsh realities of disability when he spotted an amputee struggling to shave his face. This made him question the purpose of his education, and very soon, that doubt was replaced with a burning passion to use his knowledge and qualification to make a difference. After a lot of hard work and ingenuity, he created a bionic prosthetic and founded his ‘Inali Foundation’ to contribute to the lives of thousands of amputees.
Narrated through Prashant’s lens, the story encourages younger generations to adopt new and fresh perspectives on how they can truly unlock their full potential and break out of the limits set by traditional norms. Gillette hopes to inspire them to be ‘The Best They Can Be,’ and help others do the same.
Gillette India senior director and country category leader Saurabh Bajpai said, “Since the beginning, Gillette has been committed to helping men look, feel and be their best. This commitment is brought to life through our brand purpose that inspires everything we do which is, ‘Grooming the Next Generation of Men.’ We are thrilled to partner with Prashant to support his endeavour in helping thousands of amputees. Through #ShavingStereotypes, we want to inspire young men and women around the world to be bold in defining their purpose and contribute to the communities around them in their own unique ways.”
Grey Group managing director & chief creative officer Sandipan Bhattacharyya said, “We all know that education is a career-builder, but we often ignore how it can equip us to make a difference to the world at large. It has the power to inspire us to go beyond society’s pre-defined benchmarks. Prashant’s story acts as a reminder for all of us to look deeper and discover the true potential of education. The courage and conviction he had to bring about a change in the lives of so many, is what makes him such an inspiration.”
