Lodestar UM executes Mahindra Furio's brand integration in ‘Hello Charlie' comedy film

‘Hello Charlie’, the adventure fun trip comedy film, is all slated to release on the Amazon Prime Video platform on April 9, 2021. The ensemble cast comprises filmmaker Raj Kapoor’s grandson Aadar Jain and debutante Shlokka Pandit, together with Jackie Shroff. The film is a comedy of errors, with a fraudster and a wanted Gorilla escaping.

Mahindra Furio, the new next-gen truck from Mahindra’s stable, has been scouting for a content opportunity to exhibit the vehicle and its exceptional features. Lodestar UM Studios, the specialised content division of Lodestar UM and Mediabrands India, has brought together Mahindra Furio and Hello Charlie, through an interesting association. The film, produced by Excel Entertainment, required three trucks, which were used for shoots for over 12 months. The trucks were modified to suit the script and the storyline of the film.

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Dhruv Jha, Head, Lodestar UM Studios, said, “Over the past two decades, Mediabrands India has built a very strong relationship with the Indian Film Industry and every marquee production house. Because of our size and scale and our prestigious client portfolio, every production house approaches us with diverse collaboration opportunities. Excel Entertainment is one such production house, and we have done over a dozen projects with them in the cinema and in the OTT space. So, when they approached us with Hello Charlie and a unique truck integration opportunity, we immediately lapped it up for Mahindra Furio.”

“The film Hello Charlie ticks all the right boxes of a Bollywood blockbuster. It’s going to be a rib-tickling fun entertainer; much needed in these dreary times and has already created a lot of buzz with its high-voltage promotions. The film has been shot beautifully and Mahindra Furio features in all its glory as one of the characters in the movie. This will add a new dimension to the already hero brand. We are looking forward to the release of the film and are confident that both the film and Mahindra Furio will be loved by the masses," added Jha. FCB Interface, the group creative agency, has masterminded the promotional amplification assets, which include promo videos, posters and an interesting contest.

“Mahindra Furio is the latest entrant in the fast-growing ICV cargo truck category and comes with the unprecedented ‘get more profit or give truck back’ guarantee as its core customer value proposition,” said, Rajeev Malik, VP and Head Marketing, Trucks, Bus and Construction Equipment, Mahindra & Mahindra.

He said, “We loved this opportunity to showcase this brilliant vehicle in a cinematic way. Films, especially Bollywood and OTT, have a huge mass appeal in India, and we were looking for an opportunity to relate to the transport ecosystem using this platform. Hello Charlie offered us just that. We are extremely happy that Lodestar UM Studios brought this film to us. The association is so seamless, our Mahindra Furio finds pride of place as one of the key characters of the film, showcasing cabin comfort and also highlighting the durability and reliability of the product. We are eagerly awaiting the release of the film and are sure everyone will enjoy the fun ride.”