"The concept was originally conceived by the Ogilvy team. Juneston (Mathana), the ECD at Ogilvy, had reached out to me about the film, so we spoke about it. It was like a one paragraph concept note. The whole idea of the smile and Prateik Babbar relating it to Smita Patil—that soul was present in the concept. Then, over a period of time, we collectively sat down to figure out the voice of the film; what the tonality of it should be and things like that. We let it unfold in an organic manner.
There are very few timeless stories, and this was one of those rare ones you feel lucky to be part of—one that you get to tell the world. It was a special story, and I feel fortunate to have been there to tell it.
It began with a pitching and the Ogilvy team was keen on working with me, at least that’s how it seemed from my point of view. We elaborated on the core idea and exchanged our understanding of the visual language. Once I understood that documenting certain things was what they were looking at, we stuck to a natural way of approaching the film. The process was essentially one treatment note, followed by discussions with multiple teams across India, Asia, APAC and the global teams. Once everyone was aligned, we moved ahead. It was a collaborative process.
The shoot itself wasn’t about fun BTS moments because we were dealing with a very complicated story. But I can’t separate the shoot from the process of the entire project. Luckily, every individual involved, including Prateik, was extremely participative in bringing the story alive. We had two to three meetings where we spent a couple of hours talking about Smita-ji, with him sharing his personal experiences with us. Those conversations were key to the entire process—they formed the foundation for executing the idea as sincerely as possible.
What I really take away from this project is how sincere everybody was. It’s rare to meet individuals who you can be vulnerable with. This was one such project where everybody allowed themselves to be present. The space was safe enough to tell a sensitive story.
We also shared stories from our own childhoods. We were trying to understand what the differences would be, what a child—who has grown up without his mother— might be missing out on and what his experiences would have been. Sometimes, to get to the deeper parts of a person, you need to reveal yourself first. Luckily, as creatives, we were all willing to participate in that capacity as well.
The clients loved the film. They were in love with the idea right from the word go, and I was extremely surprised by how participative they were—in a good way. The detailing of the story went far beyond the edit table. The discussions were honest and open, especially around how the film would be received. There wasn’t really a director’s cut and a client’s cut. We made just one film.
This was one of my favourite projects not just because it was a timeless story, but also because how honest and sincere it was.”
IMPACT’S PICK
‘The Boy Who Learnt To Smile’
ABOUT AMIT MISHR
Amit Mishr, an ad filmmaker with Absolute Productions, is known for his cinematic storytelling across commercials, music videos and branded films. His work is rooted in authenticity, blending documentary realism with emotional depth and understated visuals. With a keen eye for human stories and collaborative filmmaking, Mishr has built a reputation for creating films that are intimate, honest and emotionally enduring.
BEST WORK
‘Ek Taara’ - Titan Eye+
#ShotOnOnePlus – One Plus
CAMPAIGNS I LOVE
‘The Steel of India’ – Jindal Steel
‘The Sweet Truth’ – Colgate
