Indian advertising is once again leaning on familiar Bollywood pairings. In a fragmented media environment where attention is scarce and recall is expensive, brands are rediscovering the commercial value of cultural memory. According to the experts, reuniting iconic Bollywood characters or actor pairings allows advertisers to bypass lengthy brand storytelling and enter conversations with instant recognition already built in.
This strategy is not new, but its renewed visibility in 2024 and 2025 points to a larger shift. As advertising costs rise and audience fatigue with influencer-led messaging sets in, brands are returning to proven intellectual property...films, characters and relationships that already occupy a place in popular culture. The objective is efficiency: quicker emotional entry, higher engagement and stronger recall in fewer seconds.
India’s advertising market is projected to touch Rs 2 lakh crore in 2026, backed by an estimated 10.2 per cent nominal GDP growth, according to WPP’s This Year, Next Year (TYNY) report. Digital continues to drive expansion, with retail media emerging as the fastest-growing channel. Ahead of this, 2025 ad spend is expected to cross Rs 1.8 lakh crore, a sharp uptick from earlier estimates. The upward revision reflects stronger-than-anticipated momentum in digital media and sustained advertiser confidence despite macroeconomic uncertainty.
However, the Bollywood approach comes with risks. Nostalgia-driven advertising walks a thin line between familiarity and repetition. While the first revival can generate excitement, subsequent iterations must justify their existence with fresh narrative or relevance. Brands are increasingly aware that simply assembling famous faces is not enough; the context, scripting and brand integration need to earn their place.
Across categories (tourism, insurance, skincare, music streaming, construction materials and travel platforms) advertisers are now experimenting with different ways of bringing back beloved on-screen dynamics. Some campaigns extend fictional universes, others extract characters from their original settings, while a few lean purely on visual recall. The results have been uneven, but together they underline how nostalgia is being recalibrated as a business tool rather than a creative indulgence.
Yas Island Repackages Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’s Friendship
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Fourteen years after Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara became a cultural touchstone, Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar and Abhay Deol reunited...not for a sequel, but for a destination marketing campaign. A mysterious teaser featuring the trio sparked speculation of a follow-up film, only for the reveal to position the reunion as Zindagi Ko Yas Bol, a campaign for Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
The campaign deliberately taps into the emotional memory of the film’s themes, friendship, adventure and self-discovery, while reframing them within a contemporary travel experience. Structured as a five-episode web series, the campaign follows the trio as they take on a series of challenges across Yas Island’s attractions, with each episode designed to mirror the camaraderie and banter that defined the original film.
Rather than recreating scenes, the campaign borrows tone and interpersonal dynamics. Dialogues subtly reference the film, including a moment where Arjun throws Imraan’s phone out of the car, a reversal of a key scene from the movie. The second episode escalates the playful rivalry through a prank challenge, culminating in Kabir dressing his friends as Tom and Jerry while claiming the Batman costume for himself.
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Behind the scenes, the involvement of Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, who scripted the original film, adds creative continuity. The campaign aligns with the brand’s “say Yas” positioning, encouraging audiences to associate the destination with thrill, spontaneity and shared memories rather than conventional tourism imagery.
Spotify India Brings Back Emraan Hashmi and Raghav Juyal
Spotify India’s latest campaign reunites Emraan Hashmi and Raghav Juyal, drawing on their earlier on-screen association in The Ba**ds of Bollywood*. The ad places the duo in a lounge setting, leaning into conversational humour and character-driven banter to promote Spotify Wrapped.
The narrative opens with Hashmi as the focal point before Juyal enters, announcing, “Wrapped has dropped,” and expressing excitement about checking his top song. The exchange quickly turns playful, with Hashmi teasing Juyal about his reluctance to sing, echoing dynamics familiar to viewers of their earlier collaboration.
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One of the most discussed moments in the ad comes when Hashmi remarks, “India ke aadhe Gen Z toh isliye paida hue kyunki uss raat Murder ke gaane chal rahe the.” The line, referencing the cultural impact of Hashmi’s earlier film soundtracks, blends nostalgia with self-aware humour and became a key talking point on social media.
The campaign closes with a visual callback as Juyal plays his top track, Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai, while wearing a shirt featuring Hashmi’s face. The ad’s success lies in its restraint...rather than overplaying nostalgia, it uses selective references to enhance relatability while keeping the focus on Spotify Wrapped as a personal, data-driven music ritual.
Vaseline Recasts Streaming Characters as Brand Metaphors
Vaseline’s latest campaign revisits characters from Aaryan Khan’s Netflix series The Ba**ds of Bollywood, marking a shift back to character-based advertising. Created by Ogilvy and produced by Absolute Studios, the four-film series features Aasmaan Singh and Parvaiz, played by Lakshya Lalwani and Raghav Juyal.
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The ads use the on-screen friendship to explain the functional pairing of ceramide and hyaluron...one moisturises while the other seals in moisture. The creative idea rests on the notion that certain things work best together, whether ingredients or relationships.
What makes the campaign notable is its reliance on character memory rather than celebrity recognition alone. Viewers who followed the series bring an emotional context into the ad, while those unfamiliar with the show are introduced to the pairing through situational storytelling. This approach mirrors earlier successful campaigns that used fictional relationships to create brand associations beyond product benefits.
In a crowded skincare market, Vaseline’s strategy reflects a broader attempt to stand out by reviving narrative advertising, where characters, not claims, carry the message.
ACKO Extends the Munna Bhai–Circuit Universe
ACKO’s decision to revive Munna Bhai and Circuit for a second campaign highlights both the strength and limitations of nostalgia-driven advertising. Following the success of its 2023 #HealthInsurancekiSubahHoGayiMamu campaign, which amassed over 7.2 million YouTube views, the digital insurer launched Health Insurance ki Subah Ho Gayi Mammu.
The new campaign revisits the familiar universe while introducing fresh messaging around health insurance—no limits on hospital room rent, the need for personal coverage beyond office policies, and the importance of early adoption. This time, the duo is joined by Dr. Rustam Pavri, a character from Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.
Shot by Rajkumar Hirani and curated by Leo Burnett India, the campaign leans heavily on the cultural imprint of the original films. However, the novelty factor has inevitably reduced. While the first reunion benefited from a 17-year gap, the sequel faces higher expectations.
Ashish Mishra, chief marketing officer of ACKO, acknowledges the challenge. “The second album is always the toughest,” he says, adding, “There was pressure to ensure this campaign was as entertaining as the last.” He credits the richness of the Munna-Circuit universe for offering continued creative possibilities, noting that the characters’ dialogues remain embedded in everyday language and meme culture.
The business rationale remains strong. On the launch day of the first campaign, ACKO recorded a 56x spike in app downloads. As Mishra explains, “Creating memorable ads like Munna Bhai-Circuit and the Saif-Sara campaign not only enhances brand recall but also drives better returns on media investments.” The revival also coincides with ACKO’s broader rebranding as it expands beyond auto insurance into health, life and travel categories.
Rungta Steels Casts Characters, Not Just Stars
Recently, Rungta Steels’ recent advertisement featuring Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt demonstrates how character recall can be used even in low-involvement categories like construction materials. Rather than appearing as themselves, the actors revisit recent on-screen personas.
Shah Rukh Khan appears as Vikram Rathore from Jawan, Ranbir Kapoor channels his Brahmastra look, and Alia Bhatt reprises the assertive charm of Rani from Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. Directed by Siddharth Anand, the ad opens with a staged confrontation between Khan and Kapoor, punctuated by dialogue referencing their characters.
The fight escalates until Alia intervenes, redirecting the conflict toward a pillar that “won’t break,” reinforcing the product’s durability. Online reactions ranged from admiration of the production quality to scepticism about whether such star power translates into purchase decisions for steel rods.
The campaign’s visibility, however, ensured conversation—arguably the primary objective in a category that rarely commands public attention.
Goibibo Continues Its Kareena Kapoor Character Strategy
In 2024, Goibibo’s ongoing collaboration with Kareena Kapoor Khan extends its strategy of integrating the actor’s iconic roles into brand storytelling. The latest digital film revives Geet from Jab We Met, building on the earlier campaign that referenced Poo from Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham.
The film recreates the ‘Hotel Decent’ scene to highlight Goibibo’s hotel discovery features. Raj Rishi Singh, Chief Marketing Officer, Goibibo, states, “As we have said before, the partnership between Bebo and Goibibo was always meant to be.” He adds that the campaign aims to establish a brand voice that resonates with younger audiences.
Kareena Kapoor Khan explains, “I was thrilled to reprise beloved Geet for this ad as the context was a natural fit with the brand’s concept and proposition.” The campaign, conceptualised by Talented, positions Kapoor’s characters as cultural shorthand for confidence, spontaneity and assurance—qualities Goibibo seeks to associate with its platform.
Across these campaigns, nostalgia is being deployed with calculated intent. While the approach carries diminishing returns if overused, brands continue to experiment with how cultural memory can be refreshed rather than replayed. The success of such campaigns will depend less on who appears on screen and more on whether the storytelling justifies their return.