Mumbai: Godrej L’affaire, the lifestyle platform by Godrej Industries Group, continues its #CelebratingAcceptance campaign this Diwali with a brand film promoting love and equality in relationships. The story follows young Shlok, who learns from his neighbour, Aunt, about embracing diverse family dynamics. As he participates in Diwali celebrations, Shlok observes different customs and learns that traditions are best enriched through acceptance.
Featuring Ankit Andulekar and Shailesh Gupta as a same-sex couple, the film conveys the message: ‘Riwaazo se Rishte nahi Bante’ (Relationships aren't built on traditions) but rather, ‘Hum rishton se Riwaaz banate hai’ (We create traditions through relationships). Through Aunt’s metaphor, ‘Brown ho ya colourful, hai toh dono mitti ke diye na’ (Brown or colourful, every diya is made from the same clay), Shlok learns to appreciate all forms of love without bias. He becomes a young ambassador of change, embracing inclusion and reinforcing that Diwali and the relationships it celebrates are for everyone.
Godrej Industries Group chief communications officer, corporate brand and communications Sujit Patil said, “Festivities in India are deeply entrenched in tradition. With this film Godrej L’Affaire aims to generate conversations around widening traditional norms. We hope to spark meaningful conversations around love that transcends norms. Diwali is a time of celebration and connection, and we believe that the light of acceptance should shine equally bright for everyone—regardless of who they love. At its heart, this film reflects the beauty of relationships built on authenticity, reminding us that true joy comes from embracing one another just as we are. We hope it inspires people to celebrate relationships in all their forms and create traditions that are rooted in love.”
Godrej DEI Lab head Parmesh Shahani said, “Godrej Industries Group has a dedicated diversity and inclusion vertical, the Godrej DEI Lab, committed to workplace inclusion and we were delighted to collaborate on this important project. Through this campaign, we hope to encourage viewers to expand the idea of tradition and love their family members in all their beautiful diversity, just as the mother in this video has done. Our efforts in this direction coincide with the recent steps of the government’s department of social justice and empowerment (DoSJE), which had invited inputs of stakeholders and the public at large, so as to ensure that policies and initiatives regarding LGBTQI+ community are inclusive and effective. The Department of Financial Services (DFS) has issued an advisory that there are no restrictions for persons of the queer community to open a joint bank account and to nominate a person in queer relationship as a nominee, while the ministry of health and family welfare has issued letters to all stakeholders including all States/UTs to take measures to ensure the rights of LGBTQI+ community. We believe that through videos like this, we can share with viewers how invaluable support from family members empowers the LGBTQIA+ community to truly make every milestone in their lives a celebration of inclusion.”
AGENCY09 senior content creator Aadie Sawant, the ideator & screenplay writer for this campaign added, “Familiarising children to different concepts, different perspectives is important. Most queer individuals spend their childhood being indoctrinated to a “straight” way of living. Letting them know that it’s okay to pursue what seems right to you is crucial, so as to not affect their adult life. I’m happy that I got to share this narrative of acceptance and love.”
This Diwali, join Godrej L’affaire in embracing a significant step towards fostering a society where love knows no bounds and where all relationships are cherished.
