Ashiish V Patil, Chief Storyteller, Co-founder & CEO, Isspeshal StratCon LLP, who conceptualised the Ching’s Secret film, in an exclusive conversation with Neeta Nair, Editor of IMPACT Magazine reveals that the ad, contrary to what all the reports claimed, didn’t cost Rs 150 cr but only a fraction of it, however the earned media made it look like they spent even more.
Q] You are behind the latest Ching’s ad, did it really cost Rs 150 cr?
I’ve been part of the Ranveer Ching madness since Day 1. It has been 11 years of co-writing and producing all the big tentpole campaigns. Now, about the Rs 150 cr headline — let’s just say, don’t believe everything you read on the internet. I can’t disclose the actual budget, but here’s the truth: It cost a fraction of what’s being reported and delivered a far bigger earned-media bang than what’s being estimated.
Q] Are big-budget ads an anomaly or an upcoming trend? Are brands finally willing to spend more on production again?
BMW Short Films flipped the script back in 2001. That was the first time we saw production costing more than the media spend, and it felt like a feature film. Cut to now, budgets have shrunk, everyone’s happy churning out AI slop or low-effort phone-shot cat-video-quality ads. So big-budget production films (not celebrity fees) absolutely feel like an anomaly today. And a big budget doesn’t guarantee a great idea. But a great idea executed poorly can actively damage a brand, especially the large and premium/luxury ones.
Q] Why were you convinced that a 9-minute-long film would work? Would it have gone viral without the PR buzz around its Rs 150 cr budget’?
Anyone who says they were 100% sure that something will work is lying. No one knows anything. What we did feel confident about was the cocktail: Atlee’s storytelling + Ranveer’s madness + Sreeleela’s freshness + Bobby’s swag + Ching’s insane universe. That combo had ‘sample me’ written all over it. And to be clear, the discovery didn’t happen because of the ridiculous budget rumours, it happened in spite of them. We weren’t confident it would work; we were confident it was worth making.
Q] Why was Atlee the right pick for making this ad?
We wanted to level-up action and crack open South markets strategically. Atlee + Sreeleela = slam dunk. This is the same brand that once allowed fire to come out of Ranveer Ching’s posterior after eating Schezwan Chutney, which brand lets you do that? This time, we twisted the current ‘weight-loss due to taste-loss drugs’ chatter into classic Ching’s satire. Add Atlee’s blockbuster masala… BOOM!
Q] What were the big challenges you faced, while executing this film and what has been the feedback you received for it.
1200-people crew, A-list technicians, heavy VFX, juggling big star calendars, Operation Sindoor delaying our original shoot, rewrites— the works. But it only made the film sharper. The response has been bonkers: Everyone is calling it a film, not an ad, it generated 250 million views in 5 days with 98–99% completion rates. There was massive retention across film, trailer, and songs and organic reach was off the charts. In fact, 300 media folks showed up on a Diwali Sunday at a PVR for the launch of a Schezwan Chutney ad. Have you ever heard of that for an ad campaign. This ad didn’t behave like an ad. It behaved like a blockbuster.
Q] Ching’s Secret worked directly with a production house and a consulting firm like yours— not a creative agency for such a big film. Is this becoming a trend?
Ching’s has always done this. Most traditional agencies think traditionally. Their idea of content is a longer ad with a logo or more star power. But audiences have changed: 70% of Gen Z use ad blockers, older audiences have subscriptions, so they don’t see ads and where ads do show up, no one trusts them. Branded Content like those made for Coke Studio and Barbie jumps such firewalls. You need content producers who get that. That’s what I’ve always done-- from Roadies (Hero Motors) to India’s 1st Transgender Band i.e., 6 Pack Band for Unilever, to Mere Dad Ki Maruti. Creativity and strategy must be so fused that you can’t tell where one ends and the other begins. That’s always been my role. Today, you don’t need an agency, you need a creative-strategic co-pilot.
