A quiet ode to the women who hold the house together at Diwali. This year's Diwali film and stills for Zouk celebrate the rituals that don't make it to the grid — the cleaning, the choosing of what to wear, the unspoken passing-down between mother and daughter.
The visual approach was warm, considered, and rooted in real Indian homes. No fairy-light cliches — just clean composition, low-key lighting, and storytelling that felt remembered, not staged. Every frame designed to feel like a Diwali you've already lived.
Credits
Client – @zoukonline (Amandeep Singh, Nikita Shroff, Chhaya Naidu)
Agency – @thescriptroom_in
Production House – @entouragefilms
Executive Producer – @go_garry
Photographer – Akshay Pawar
Associate Producer – @rugvex
Assistant Producer – @simran.lamba03
Line Producers – @diasavinash18 @nikhil.mehta0143
Production Designers – @daakuaunties @pappukaana @yashika.gor
Costume Stylist – @chetna.raw
Costume Assistants – @sanyuktadalvii @sakshi_burman_
Makeup Artist – @sanjaypatni8
Casting Director – @magpiecasting
Talent – @bhoomikameena, Omkar Ghag
Finance & Accounts – Vibhuti More, Mehul Chauhan
Agency – @thescriptroom_in
Production House – @entouragefilms
Executive Producer – @go_garry
Photographer – Akshay Pawar
Associate Producer – @rugvex
Assistant Producer – @simran.lamba03
Line Producers – @diasavinash18 @nikhil.mehta0143
Production Designers – @daakuaunties @pappukaana @yashika.gor
Costume Stylist – @chetna.raw
Costume Assistants – @sanyuktadalvii @sakshi_burman_
Makeup Artist – @sanjaypatni8
Casting Director – @magpiecasting
Talent – @bhoomikameena, Omkar Ghag
Finance & Accounts – Vibhuti More, Mehul Chauhan
Challenges & Learnings
Same day, second campaign. Both Diwali and Rakhi shot back-to-back inside the same window.
No recce. Four lights. A single room promised for stills.
Morning of the shoot, I was diagnosed with viral fever. High temperature, the works. Doctor advised tests and rest. But I wasn't going to hand in excuses on a back-to-back.
Two hours to the studio. Foggy head, clear goal. Lightning-fast scan of the space, convinced production we needed more. Got access to better areas, rebuilt the plan on the fly — and switched mental gears between two festivals on the same set without letting either look like the other.
Despite every constraint, we delivered images that exceeded expectations. The campaign was approved without hesitation.
What I learned:
Your body might give out. Your eye and instinct won't.
A great crew is everything.
Limited gear is never an excuse. It's just a different kind of problem to solve.
And on a double-feature day — clarity of intent for each story is the only thing that keeps them from blending.
Your body might give out. Your eye and instinct won't.
A great crew is everything.
Limited gear is never an excuse. It's just a different kind of problem to solve.
And on a double-feature day — clarity of intent for each story is the only thing that keeps them from blending.
