Astro's Diwali Ad Encourages Malaysians to 'Be The Light'

Among the values that represent the light of Diwali are kindness, sincerity, helping the needy, and pursuing knowledge over ignorance. Deepavali 2021 is the second year Malaysians are celebrating the festival of light in the middle of a pandemic. We might see the light at the end of the tunnel, yet we are still in it. So we need to embody the value of the light more than ever.

Astro’s Deepavali theme this year ‘Be The Light’ (#TheebamaiJolippom), is a call to Malaysians to bring hope to those in need, whether they have big or small problems.

But in a world where many hold on to preconceptions, acts of kindness easily get second guessed. For example, a helping hand might get greeted with suspicion just because someone is different.

Astro wanted to confront issues like this head-on, while keeping an encouraging tone to encourage Malaysians to be the light.

This year’s Deepavali film follows Dr. Kugan, a doctor who rises above the negativity of the world. He tries his best to be the light to those around him despite getting cold or unfriendly responses. His character is also a subtle nod to the frontliners who have and are being the light to help Malaysia overcome this pandemic.

“It would be easier to just stick to a feel-good festive ad. But as the leading media and entertainment company, it is also our responsibility to be using our platform as a voice for good, to share stories which resonates and shed light on issues our viewers can relate to and to encourage them to embrace diversity and to be inclusive. We are feeling very encouraged with the positive response from the public so far," Tammy Toh, Group Marketing and Communications Director, Astro.

“At Naga DDB Tribal, we are very thankful for clients who also believe that beyond selling products and services through advertising, we have a responsibility in wielding positive influence within the society we all live in,” said Nik Radzi, Deputy ECD, Naga DDB Tribal, “We commend Astro’s bravery to bring these issues to light. It really pushed the Naga DDB Tribal team to thread the balance between the gravity of combating unfair prejudices while maintaining a cheerful tone of the festivities.”

“Naga DDB Tribal believes that by creating purposeful content that people want to spend time with, brands will connect with the customers in a more meaningful way.” he added

The film has over 5.4k likes and 2.2k shares on Facebook at the time of writing. It also garnered many positive comments from the Indian community.