Zomato's campaign explores the discipline behind fame using rare footage of iconic Indian figures

Zomato’s latest campaign, 'Fuel Your Hustle,' trades glossy glamour for grit, peeling back the layers of success to reveal the relentless discipline and struggle that define some of India’s most celebrated names. The campaign film features Shah Rukh Khan, Mary Kom, A.R. Rahman, and Jasprit Bumrah, not in their moments of triumph, but in the quiet grind that led them there.

At the centre of the campaign is a simple question: What is the secret ingredient? The spot opens with Bumrah locking eyes with the camera, followed by a sharp cut to Shah Rukh Khan seated on a throne, a subtle nod to his title as Bollywood’s ‘King’. What follows is a montage of rarely seen archival and behind-the-scenes footage from the early days of each figure’s career, portrayed in black and white to underscore the rawness of their journeys.

From Mary Kom taking hits in the ring and rising again, to A.R. Rahman finding rhythm in solitude, the film draws a line through shared experiences of discipline, failure, persistence, and the everyday grind. There are no shortcuts, the voiceover insists, and no magic formulas, just the desire to want it more than anyone else.

The visual storytelling is underscored by a music track from Kalmi (Nikhil Kalimireddy), whose 'Big Dawgs' went viral earlier this year. The track lends an edge to the narrative, pushing it beyond conventional brand film territory and into something that resembles a cultural pulse-check on hustle culture in India today.

While food only appears subtly, it acts as a metaphor for fuel, quiet, consistent, and often overlooked. It’s not about indulgence; it’s about sustenance for those chasing something bigger.

By framing its brand within a narrative of discipline and resilience, Zomato steps back from product-first storytelling and taps into a broader cultural sentiment: the admiration for those who persist, especially when no one’s watching.

 

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