Godawan has long positioned itself as more than a whisky brand. Born in Rajasthan and named after the Great Indian Bustard, the brand has used its platform to spotlight the region’s wildlife, craft, culture and the communities working to preserve them.
This World Wildlife Week, that purpose takes the form of The Godawan, a handcrafted stop-motion film telling the story of the endangered bird through an unusually labour-intensive art form.
The film builds on Godawan’s conservation journey, which has taken several forms since 2022. In 2023, Godawan 100 marked the milestone of the bird’s population reaching 100. The following year, Durbar celebrated Rajasthan’s music, food, culture and craft. In 2025, Godawan 173: The Collector’s Edition marked another population milestone through 173 individually crafted bottles inspired by Jaipur Blue Pottery, linking the bird’s story with a fragile local craft and the artisans keeping it alive.
Earlier this year, on World Environment Day, Godawan projected the bird’s revival story onto the Qutub Minar. Now, the story comes alive through film.
Created at a time when technology can produce images almost instantly, The Godawan deliberately takes the slower route. More than 100 artists and craftspeople contributed to the film, which combines handcrafted stop-motion, 2D animation and live action. Its visual world is made up of more than 5,200 individual ceramic pieces, inspired by Jaipur Blue Pottery.
Each piece was physically made, arranged and photographed by hand, making patience central to the filmmaking process — much like the conservation effort at its heart.
Conceptualised and directed by 22feet and McCann India, both part of Omnicom Advertising India, in collaboration with animation studio Studio Eeksaurus, the film also brings together music rooted in Rajasthan. The score was created by Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty, Grammy-winning percussionist Taufiq Qureshi and National Award winner Rajat Dholakia, drawing from Rajasthani folk traditions and instruments including the Ravanahatha and Morchang.
“Our support for the Godawan’s conservation goes back years, and seeing a purpose we have believed in for so long come to life has been incredible. We have commemorated the bird’s journey in many ways over the years, but this is perhaps the most exciting way yet, through a film that brings together conservation, craft, culture and storytelling. At a time when almost anything can be created in seconds, we chose to take the time to make this by hand. That human touch is what this story of conservation needed,” commented Ruchira Jaitly, Chief Marketing Officer, Diageo India.
For Studio Eeksaurus Co-Founder and Director Suresh Eriyat, the story demanded a similarly patient approach.
"The moment I heard the story of the Godawan, I knew nothing could stop us from making it. There was a cause, an art form on the edge of disappearing, and a bird almost nobody had seen. We may never make another film quite this way again. The time it took, the ceramics, the filmmaking process, all of it was built for this one story, and it asked for patience at every step, the same patience it takes to protect an egg or rebuild a population”, says Eriyat.
The film also connects conservation with the livelihoods of the artisans behind the craft. Rahul Mathew, Chief Creative Officer, McCann India, said the decision to use Jaipur Blue Pottery was intended to make the craft of the film reflect the craft being celebrated.
"We’ve heard the adage ‘It takes a village to raise a child’. It’s especially true when it comes to conservation of the Godawan. Which is why, along with supporting the conservation, Diageo is also supporting the artisans of the region and their craft. And we knew that to tell a story about their craft, we had to make sure it was one that used great craft. To tell the story of the Godawan and its conservation using the medium of Jaipur Blue Pottery was painstaking, but also very rewarding. Much like the conservation itself," says Mathew.
The entire process took more than eight months, spanning storytelling, music, art and post-production. Made in India by Indian artists, artisans and craftspeople, The Godawan brings the brand’s conservation, craftsmanship and Rajasthan narrative together in a film where the making is as much a part of the story as the bird itself.
