Air India Celebrates Indian Dance With A New Safety Video

Air India, India’s leading global airline, unveiled ‘Safety Mudras’, the airline’s new inflight safety video that seamlessly blends safety instructions with the kaleidoscope of India’s vibrant culture, on 23 February 2024. Developed in collaboration with the visionary trio of Prasoon Joshi of McCann Worldgroup, Shankar Mahadevan and Bharatbala, the video is meticulously crafted to engage passengers and showcase the diversity and depth of the Indian culture, while delivering essential safety information.

Prasoon Joshi, Chairman McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific, CEO & CCO McCann Worldgroup India, and celebrated writer & lyricist, said, “Tasked with the challenge to create a concept that keeps passengers engaged, embody Indian culture and elevate the Air India brand globally, we went to great lengths to poise the essential and the evocative. Indian classical dance forms have one unique dimension—storytelling. And that is what made me think of this idea of using these Indian dance forms to deliver the safety instructions for air travel. I am fortunate that this idea found resonance with the fantastic Air India team. And, with a longtime friend and ever brilliant Bharatbala who really made this thought possible. It’s indeed a matter of pride for McCann to work with Air India.”

For centuries, Indian classical dance and folk-art forms have served as mediums of storytelling and instruction. Air India’s new inflight safety video integrates safety instructions with mudras or dance expressions in eight diverse dance forms—Bharatnatyam, Bihu, Kathak, Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Odissi, Ghoomar, and Giddha—from around the country. Each featured dance form presents a specific safety instruction, providing vital information in an engaging and culturally immersive manner.

On the occasion, Campbell Wilson, CEO & MD, Air India, said: “As a flagbearer of the country and a longstanding patron of Indian art and culture, Air India is delighted to present a work of art that is designed to deliver essential safety instructions while showcasing India’s rich cultural diversity to travellers around the world. Our guests will find this inflight safety video to be more immersive and informative, and a warm welcome to India from the moment they step onboard.”

Featuring music composed by Grammy Award-winning music composer and singer Shankar Mahadevan, the video invites passengers to experience a harmonious fusion of safety and culture. This project, spanning approximately six months, involved creators travelling and capturing the essence of India visually through mesmerizing locations across the length and breadth of the country.

Shankar Mahadevan, celebrated Indian music composer and singer, said, “I am very happy I got to create the music for the safety instruction video for Air India. With the new chapter of Air India, their safety instruction video too is pathbreaking and very culturally rich. It is a combination of the various dance forms from India – with the dancers demonstrating the safety briefing actions by way of mudras. The music changes as per the dance form as well. Cheers to Air India for creating something that has never been done before, I am very proud to be a part of this.”

The video unfolds with an Air India cabin crew member warmly welcoming a young female passenger, whose gaze is drawn to the Air India ‘Vista’ (a golden window frame unveiled last year as an integral part of Air India’s new global brand identity). As she playfully peeks through the ‘Vista’, a magical cultural spectacle unfolds before her.

The first enchanting act features Bharatnatyam, a dance that becomes the living canvas for seat belt and cabin baggage instructions. The narrative then gracefully transitions to pristine seashores with Odissi, where the dance unfolds the art of securing seats and tray tables.

Kathakali and Mohiniyattam then take the stage, as the performers eloquently express the prohibition of electronic gadgets and smoking on board – shot in the tranquil backwaters of Kerala. Kathak demonstrates emergency exits and the deployment of oxygen masks.

The safety jacket instructions take a vibrant twist with lively Bihu dancers from Assam, followed by Ghoomar performed in Jaipur, adding a delightful touch to this symphony of safety and culture. Finally, the viewers are transported to the fields of Punjab, where Gidda dancers draw attention to the importance of the safety card found on board.

The safety video will be initially accessible on Air India’s recently introduced A350 aircraft, which is equipped with state-of-the-art inflight entertainment screens. It will be progressively deployed on other aircraft in Air India’s fleet.

Air India is currently navigating through a major five-year transformation roadmap under the aegis of Vihaan.AI, with an ambition to become a world class airline with an Indian heart. The first phase of this transformation, the taxi phase was recently concluded, and focused on fixing the basics. These included bringing back to service many long grounded aircraft, addition of talent across flying and ground functions, rapid upgradation of technology and strengthening of customer care initiatives amongst others.