There is something about a beautifully shot Indian festive commercial that makes you stop scrolling. And Apple’s latest Diwali campaign, created in collaboration with Indian fashion brand Raw Mango, seems to have understood that assignment very well.
‘Step Into the Light’ celebrates everything that makes Diwali: vibrant textiles, traditional dance, elaborate architecture, music and of course, light. But this campaign stands out because it manages to bring all these elements together without making the film feel like yet another advertisement asking people to buy a new phone.
Released on 6 November on YouTube, the film was shot entirely on the iPhone 18 Pro and directed by Sanjay Garg, founder of Raw Mango. Set against the backdrop of Tijara Fort, a restored 19th-century royal palace in Rajasthan, it brings together performers from different parts of India, dressed in Indian textiles, as they move through a series of synchronised dance sequences.
One of the biggest reasons the campaign works is its attention to detail. Rather than relying on the usual festive advertising with diyas, marigolds, families exchanging sweets, Apple and Raw Mango have taken a more artistic route.
The film draws from India’s rich textile traditions, with the performers wearing outfits featuring Mashru, Varanasi brocades and Chanderi. The colours, textures and silhouettes are given room to shine, making the wardrobe a star in its own right.
For Raw Mango, this is their home ground. Founded by textile designer Sanjay Garg in 2008, the label has built its identity around reinterpreting Indian handlooms and traditional craftsmanship through contemporary design.
So, its collaboration with Apple feels like a natural extension of that philosophy.
The nostalgia factor
Then comes the music. The campaign features an interpretation of Anu Malik’s popular 1990s track ‘Roop Suhana Lagta Hai’, originally composed for the 1994 film ‘The Gentleman’.
Instead of picking a contemporary festive soundtrack or an overused Bollywood dance number, the campaign revisits a song that almost instantly triggers nostalgia.
And the makers had another surprise up their sleeve. Actor Juhi Chawla, who starred in the1994 film, makes a cameo appearance. Her presence adds another reason to talk about the commercial.
Of course, this is an Apple advertisement, and the real goal is to showcase what the iPhone 18 Pro can do.
But unlike conventional smartphone commercials that often rely on close-ups of the device, technical specifications and elaborate demonstrations, ‘Step Into the Light’ takes a different approach. It lets the camera do the talking.
The entire film has been shot on the iPhone 18 Pro, with a particular focus on its low-light capabilities. This is especially useful for Diwali, where much of the visual spectacle happens after sunset.
The phone’s 48-megapixel Fusion Main camera introduces variable aperture technology for the first time on an iPhone. It can widen to f/1.48 in low-light conditions, allowing more light to enter the lens. The film also demonstrates its smart focus tracking feature, which keeps individual performers in focus as they move through dance formations.
So, Apple found a way to demonstrate its technology without interrupting the film to explain it. You see the results rather than being handed a list of specifications.
Also read: Prada skips AI, brings back the pencil for its Christmas ad
A collaboration no one saw coming
Apple’s decision to collaborate with Raw Mango isn’t predictable. No one saw this coming.
Indian festive advertising has often relied on predictable plots. But this campaign makes a conscious effort to celebrate the country’s artistic and cultural vocabulary through a contemporary lens.
It brings together a technology company, an Indian fashion label, traditional textile craftsmanship, dance and music. Each element contributes something to the final film to make it look more extravagant.
It also gives Raw Mango a platform to take its aesthetic sensibilities to a much wider audience, particularly after its international runway debut at London Fashion Week earlier this year. The campaign was conceptualised by TBWA\Media Arts Lab India, with April Studios handling production and Heckler working on post-production.
The biggest compliment Step Into the Light can get is that it makes you forget, even for a couple of minutes, that you are watching an advertisement for a smartphone. And in an age where brands are competing for shorter attention spans, that is quite a feat.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)