Air India launches safety video highlighting Indian classical art forms
Air India's new safety video is available to watch on YouTube now and will be rolled out in aircraft, starting with its A350 fleet
Air India has unveiled its latest safety video, “Safety Mudras”, an instructional presentation that highlights India’s vibrant culture for passengers before takeoff. The film was developed in collaboration with Prasoon Joshi of McCann Worldgroup, musician Shankar Mahadevan and filmmaker Bharatbala, the February 23 press release said.
Joshi said of the filmmaking experience: “Tasked with the challenge to create a concept that keeps passengers engaged, embody Indian culture and elevate the Air India brand globally, we went to great lengths to poise the essential and the evocative. Indian classical dance forms have one unique dimension - storytelling. And that is what made me think of this idea of using these Indian dance forms to deliver the safety instructions for air travel.”
Indian classical dance and folk-art forms as mediums of storytelling take centre stage in this video, delivering key safety information to passengers while celebrating Indian culture. The inflight safety video for Air India integrates safety instructions with dance expressions (mudras) in eight dance forms from across the country: Bharatnatyam, Bihu, Kathak, Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Odissi, Ghoomar and Giddha.
The video uses each dance form to present a specific safety instruction. The music for the film was composed by Grammy Award-winning music composer and singer Shankar Mahadevan.
“With the new chapter of Air India, their safety instruction video too is pathbreaking and very culturally rich. It is a combination of the various dance forms from India - with the dancers demonstrating the safety briefing actions by way of mudras. The music changes as per the dance form as well. Cheers to Air India for creating something that has never been done before, I am very proud to be a part of this,” said Mahadevan.
The project took approximately six months to complete, with creators travelling across the country to capture the “essence of India” through audio and visuals.
“As a flagbearer of the country and a longstanding patron of Indian art and culture, Air India is delighted to present a work of art that is designed to deliver essential safety instructions while showcasing India’s rich cultural diversity to travellers around the world. Our guests will find this inflight safety video to be more immersive and informative, and a warm welcome to India from the moment they step onboard,” said Campbell Wilson, CEO & MD, Air India
The safety video will be screened on Air India’s recently introduced A350 aircraft. It will be progressively deployed on other aircraft in Air India’s fleet.
